Heart's Embers
by SugarLoaf12
Summary: It's been fifteen months hasn't it? Living from day to day, moving from place to place. Looking for the next payday, the next target... the next fight. I thought living outside their war would be easier. But sometimes knowing... is all it takes to leave you wondering "What if" I think back to why I left and I know I made the right choice... Ozpin be damned.
1. Slade Stroud

**Hey guys! I know I promised to have this story out and in the works a long time ago (Oops... Sorry about that!) Unfortunately I had so many things happening throughout the year, I ended up not having a whole lot of time to write this out until recently. I know, I know, excuses, excuses. I promise I will try and keep my updates timely and to the date! My plan is to have at least one chapter out for you every week or so depending on how much free time I have. This story is Rated M just in case.**

 **Anyway, a few key notes before you start reading if you would:**

 **1\. This story will have some major spoilers for RWBY, this includes new episodes so don't read until you're caught up if you care about that sort of thing. I know I do.**

 **2\. I will not be going into grave detail to describe every character in this story as it is not my strong suit, and honestly if you want to know what a character looks like, you can just google it. That being said, I will be doing my best on making the characters I add to the story easily visualized going forward.**

 **3\. The main character in this fic is the same from my previous RWBY fic but with some noticeable differences. For example he's going to have the same name and appearance as he did in the previous story but will not have the same backstory or personality given his different experiences.**

 **On that note I hope you all enjoy this chapter and the story as a whole. Read on!**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing!**

"Speech"

 _Thoughts_

* * *

 **Chapter One: Slade Stroud**

"Slade" called a soft feminine voice through the darkness. Suddenly the face owning the voice began to become clear through the dark mist clouding Slade's vision. It was a woman with brown hair and bright emerald eyes with a pale complexion.

"Slade" she called again looking at him dead in the eyes, as his vision cleared completely he noticed his arm had an armored gauntlet attached with a blade on the outer edge.

"Slade!" the voice screamed at him as he took notice of the end of the blade through her abdomen "How could you do this to me!?" she screamed as blood started streaming out of the emerald eyed brunette's mouth.

Slade's eyes shot open abruptly sitting up he partially removed his gun from it's holster before taking in his surroundings.

"Perhaps that last shot was one too many" Slade sighed replacing the obsidian colored gun in it's holster. It was shaped like that of a revolver and had a glistening ruby colored skull on both sides of the barrel. There were words etched into the cylinder of the weapon that read "Never" and "Forget" below the first word repeating over and over again around the cylinder. Looking out from the tree branch he rested upon he noticed the smallest hint of the sun coming up over the trees "I should really head out anyway, We've got another target to take down partner" he said patting his holster.

Slade wore a long black trench coat with a matching vest underneath with thin black armor covering the upper half of his chest and abdomen, along with matching black armored gauntlets on each arm starting just under his elbows leading up to his gloved hands, the armor only segregating at his hands covering his knuckles to accommodate the bend of the armor. Slade possessed a fair complexion, with dark black hair and emerald eyes, he had a full goatee around his mouth stopping at his chin.

Slade dropped from the branch using his right hand to place his coat's hood over his head before effortlessly catching himself with his left, reaching into his coat as he stood up straight he removed a pair of slate sunglasses and placed them on his face with his left hand and covered his face with a small mask stopping just beneath his glasses.

"Hope you're tougher than my last target" he mused aloud "I'm in a fighting mood" despite this statement, only one thing remained on his mind.

 _Elise_

* * *

It was midday the sun was shinning high above the dense green forest in the blue sky overhead. "I'm just sayin'..." Nora and Ren emerge from behind a tree, walking together "...there's more members of JNPR in this team than RWBY. It just makes sense to go with that one" Nora insisted.

"But "Junior" isn't a color" Ren argued.

Nora groaned "How can I be more clear?" Nora puts out her hands and the letters JNRR pop into existence. She points to the first three "One, two, three. That's more than one" She points to the R.

"But we're helping Ruby with her objective" Ren pointed out. Ren holds out his hand and the letters RNJR pop into existence. Behind him, Jaune Arc is crouched and watching something. Pointing to the first R "Wouldn't that make her the leader?" he asked.

"Guys!" Jaune yells grabbing their attention, Ren and Nora turn their heads toward him. "We need to focus" The letters pop out of existence "Also, JNRR is way cooler" he added over his shoulder.

"Exactly!" Nora yelled triumphantly.

Ren goes to speak, but just groans instead placing his face into his palm.

Jaune caught sight of a shadowed figure walking through the woods in front of them "There, I see something" he called back to them as they neared him silently.

"You think that's what we're looking for?" Ren asked slightly unsure.

"The mayor said we'd know it by the mask the assailant wears, that guy looks like he's wearing a mask to me under that hood"

Suddenly the figure disappeared behind a nearby tree surprising them "Quick, we have to get Ruby and go after-" Jaune began climbing over the log they were hiding behind.

"Howdy" the figure greeted standing on the log he was climbing over startling Jaune and causing him to fall over onto his back in surprise.

"What the-" Jaune was interrupted by the figure.

"How's it going there?" he asked curiously as he watched Ren and Nora scurry to help Jaune off the ground backing away from the figure considerably.

"Who are you?" Nora demanded.

"I was about to ask you the same thing, I noticed you all watching me, Huntsmen I'd wager by the look of you. I was curious what your interest in me is"

"We're looking for the one who's been attacking the nearby town and destroying incoming shipments" Ren answered.

"Well you've come to the right man" he said smirking underneath his mask "I'm Slade Stroud-" he began.

"I knew you were the one attacking the town!" Nora yelled.

"Now hold on just a minute-" Slade was stopped when he noticed a presence behind him. Ruby was soaring toward him from behind with Crescent Rose in hand ready to strike.

"Gotcha!" she yelled just before slicing through his abdomen, Slade had no reaction whatsoever to the strike causing Ruby to stumble past him falling onto her knees _I missed?_ Ruby thought in confusion, standing back up abruptly she prepared to strike again.

"Quite reckless for a child like you to attack someone like me without even waiting for provocation" Slade replied easily placing his left hand onto the scythe blade lifting himself off the ground and kicking her across the face, throwing Ruby back to the ground with her friends _Those eyes... could they be?_ Slade wondered to himself as he took notice of Ruby's unique eye color.

"He dodged every attack Ruby threw at him like it was nothing" Ren analyzed aloud.

"He's toying with us, but what is he after?" Jaune asked aloud. Slade remained quietly staring at them, weighing his options "Alright, let's end this quickly" Jaune said standing back up. Slade leapt up into a nearby large tree branch giving himself some distance.

"Nora!" Ruby yelled extending her hand toward her. Nora took her arm in her hands, swinging Ruby around throwing her toward Slade at tremendous speed.

Slade simply sidestepped the attack by Ruby easily seeing through the distraction as he turned to block Ren's barrage of bullets with his armored gauntlets. Ruby came back around for a second strike toward his head only for Slade to duck underneath the strike easily, he caught Ruby by her hood pulling her back painfully and throwing her down to the ground from the tree.

"Look out below!" Nora yelled slamming Magnhild onto Slade's gauntlets as he blocked the strike causing a large explosion to erupt from the weapon as she struck knocking down the tree with it. The dust cleared to reveal Slade had disappeared leaving Nora deeply confused.

"Where'd he- How did- what just happened!?" she yelled flustered.

"You're attacking too directly, there was twelve different ways I could've killed or incapacitated you before you could've harmed me" Slade said leaning against the tree behind her "You really should strategize before attacking an unknown enemy head on, you never know what you'll be going up against" he added.

"Alright guys, let's show him what JNRR can do!" Jaune yelled "Ren!" Ren fired a barrage of bullets at Slade forcing him to leap into the air to avoid them.

"Nora!" Nora altered Magnhild into it's launcher form firing two grenades at Slade as he soared through the air. Slade ducked back under one, then continued the motion to flip around the second successfully dodging them as he landed back on the ground.

"Ruby!" Jaune yelled as she brought Crescent Rose around to strike his midsection again only to find his confident smirk looking back at her as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"That all you've got sweetheart?" Slade winked with a slight chuckle.

Leaping away from him she looked at Jaune perplexed "I don't understand" she sighed in frustration.

"What?" Jaune asked confused.

"I can't seem to get a beat on this guy, no matter how fast I strike he is dodging it somehow" Ruby explained in annoyance.

"Somehow he's able to anticipate your attacks enough to dodge them without putting in too much effort" Jaune concluded, trying to discern the man's abilities "I'm going to have to see him fight more before I can formulate a proper plan of attack"

Nora slammed Magnhild down onto the ground beside Slade as he sidestepped the attack, he kicked Nora in the chest throwing her back into Ren as he came to help. Ruby leapt forward striking downward with her scythe clashing with Slade's gauntlets.

"You'll be fine without a weapon, you're the strategist" Jaune mimicked Ruby as he came up behind Slade to strike him with his fists. Slade's leg came up stopping his arm before it could make contact with him then kicked him in the knee then the chest stumbling Jaune back, Slade pulled his leg back toward himself then slammed his boot into Jaune's abdomen throwing him backward.

"I don't think you're fighting who you think you're fighting" Slade chuckled shoving Ruby onto he back with his shoulder.

"You're the one who keeps attacking the nearby town and destroying buildings" Ruby answered.

"What exactly would I use to destroy buildings with?" Slade asked curiously "I don't think this quite has the destructive power" he added gesturing to his revolver.

"Then who's been attacking the town?" Jaune asked standing back up with Nora and Ren close behind him "The Mayor said we'd know the attacker by his mask"

Suddenly a loud rumbling shakes several trees nearby, a collection of floating boulders with a Grimm mask moves the trees aside.

"I'm thinking that's the mask we're looking for" Slade chuckled.

"We?" Ruby asked confused, the Grimm screeched as it struck for the two of them as Slade easily dodged the strike. Ruby leapt through the air using her Semblance to try and escape the attack only for the force to throw her through the air crashing against tree limbs along the way "Bad... landing... strategy!" she yelled Ruby lands on her feet on a big tree branch strong enough to hold her weight, she uses her Semblance to fly past the Grimm.

"Let's get that thing off her" Jaune says running toward them. Ren jumps up into the trees.

"Don't forget me!" Nora yelled pulling out Magnhild and shoots it at the ground, propelling herself into the air with excited whooping. She lands right besides Ren in his branch.

"We need to draw its attention away from Ruby!" Ren announced as a stream of rose petals, Ruby flies past them.

"Could use some help!" Ruby yelled.

Nora shoots the Grimm in the back. Ren hops around on branches. The Grimm tries to hit Ren. Ren runs up its rock arm, flies into the air, and comes down upon the Grimm, striking at it with StormFlower. It's ineffective.

"Gotta get in closer!" Jaune calls out as Ren lands beside Jaune.

"My blades don't hurt him!" Ren groaned. The Grimm turns, standing upright.

"Crap!" Nora yelled

"How about this?!" Ruby yelled.

She loads a magazine with an image of a lightning bolt on its side into Crescent Rose and fires. Electric bolts encase one of the Grimm's arms. The red lines on the arm glow brighter, and the Grimm slams it into the ground. All are sent flying backwards, but Ren, Nora, and Ruby manage to land on their feet. Jaune tumbles along the ground painfully until he hits a boulder between his legs and falls forward.

"That's it!" Nora yelled encouragingly.

She runs forward, tossing Magnhild into the air and transforming it into hammer mode. She jumps into the air and hits it, breaking its arm apart. A large piece flies straight toward Nora, but Ruby gets between them and knocks it away. The Grimm uses its other arm to strike at the two girls.

Jaune straightens and stretches and soon has to dodge a barrage of rocks "Wha? Whoa! Wha? Ho!" Jaune falls onto his back "Hey! Be careful!" a rock the size of his head hits him in the face and sends him into a tree. Jaune lands in a crouch and shakes his head to clear the pain. The Grimm continually tries and fails to hit an evasive Nora.

Jaune stands up and looks up at the Grimm "Ah..." The Grimm's armless shoulder gains a glowing red circle with a symbol of an eye in the middle. The circle spins, and then a black, elongated arm with clawed fingers emerges from it, the arm rears back.

"Uh-oh" Jaune says as the Grimm shoves its new arm into the tree Jaune was leaning against and lifts it from the ground "His arm is a tree! His arm is a tree!" Jaune yelled as he ran.

"Big mistake!" Ruby spins Crescent Rose and loads another magazine into it - this one with imagery of fire on its side. She fires, and the flaming projectile swings around to the tree arm. Jaune fist pumps. The tree arm swings around to him, on fire. Jaune loses his smile putting his hands into his hair and running "Big mistake!" The Grimm chases Jaune, swinging the flaming arm at him. It misses twice, but then Jaune falls. One of StormFlower spins through the air and makes a cut across the Grimm's mask. The Grimm falls. Ren lands beside Jaune and catches his gun as Ruby and Nora come up behind their teammates.

"Okay, how do we do this?" Jaune asked exasperatedly.

"His body is too thick to break through" Ren pointed out.

"It doesn't care about its body" Jaune added.

"Plus it can keep grabbing new limbs!" Nora yelled.

"But it keeps protecting its face" Jaune noted.

"We can't break it!" Ruby yelled.

"It's limbs are replaceable, it's face however is not. Get past it's limbs and strike it's face and you can kill it" Slade explained crossing his arms, expressing his boredom.

"He's right, it keeps replacing it's arms to protect it's face. Break it's arms and we have a shot at it!" Jaune concluded excitedly.

"Let's do it!" Ruby yelled charging forward with Nora shortly behind. The Grimm easily knocked Nora away with a kick causing Ren to catch her in midair to keep her from being hurt, Ruby leapt toward it's tree trunk arm and struck with Crescent Rose as it slammed it's opposite arm into her chest throwing her back into Jaune with the scythe still embedded in it's arm.

"How're we supposed to destroy it's face if we can't even get a shot at it!" Nora yelled exasperatedly.

"Stand back kids, let the professional show you how it's done" Slade said stepping forward and cracking his knuckles as he did.

The underside of Slade's gauntlets shot out thin double-edged blades on each as he charged toward the Grimm. The creature turned toward him swinging it's tree arm toward him. Effortlessly leaping atop the arm he grabbed onto Crescent Rose firing it and slicing through the arm easily, he then leapt onto the top of it's torso deftly spinning the scythe in his hands he embedded it into the side as he slid down the front of the boulder stopping beside it's face. Slade slashed his left gauntlet blade across it's face causing it to screech in pain and leave the boulders to escape him. Slade fired Crescent Rose yet again sending him flipping through the air toward the creature as it tried to escape, embedding the scythe in the ground stopped him in his tracks as he nonchalantly leaned against the blade with his revolver in hand and his gauntlet blades receding.

"Too slow" he said aiming the gun at the creature and firing, causing the creature's mask to shatter and dissolve away on the ground as it died.

While breathing heavily before posing with his hands on hips "Another victory for Team JNRR!" Jaune yelled triumphantly, he was met with silence "Yeah, okay. Ren, I think you're onto something. I-it's just not sounding great anymore" Jaune said deflating.

"You kids need a lot more training before you're ready to be full fledged Huntsmen and Huntresses" Slade informed them as he returned Crescent Rose to Ruby "Never lose your weapon in a battle, this weapon is your life" Slade warned.

"Thanks" Ruby said sheepishly rubbing the nape of her neck.

"You really saved our butts back there" Nora reluctantly admitted.

"Sorry about attacking you before" Jaune apologized "We thought-"

"I know, kid. Consider it forgiven... this time" Slade replied, Jaune gulped nervously.

"Got it"

"So... you're a Huntsmen" Ruby pointed out.

"Bounty Hunter" Slade corrected.

"Bounty Hunter?" Ruby asked surprised "But you used to be a Huntsmen right?" she asked.

"I am no more a Huntsmen than any of you are" he answered "Besides, you really shouldn't go around asking strangers personal questions. Especially after you've attacked them"

"You were hunting this thing too then?" Nora asked referring to the Grimm.

"Yes" Slade answered.

"I suppose that means you'll be taking the bounty from the mayor then?" Ren asked hoping he wouldn't.

"Normally I would, but you kids look like you could use it more than I could. Wasn't really a job of my caliber anyway, I was just bored and looking for someone or something to fight. I'd say I got more than my fair share of fighting today" he chuckled.

"You're sure?" Ruby asked "You're the one that killed it, at the very least we should share it-"

"Really, I don't need the money. As I said it's nothing compared to what I normally make on the job so I'm not concerned" Slade turned away from the group walking away "Take care now"

"You too, Slade. Good luck on your next hunt!" Ruby called after him, he waved back showing he heard her.

"Good luck with whatever it is you're doing, so long as it doesn't involve me"

Slade stopped a few steps before being out of sight as a crow perched itself on a nearby tree branch. Slade glared at the crow with a deep expression of resentment _Better keep moving along, I am fully capable and willing to kill you if you make yourself known Branwen_ he thought to himself as he continued to leave the area, Qrow didn't follow much to his relief.

 _Stay away from my family Stroud and we'll have no quarrel_ Qrow thought to himself as he watched him disappear.

* * *

Yang pushed the doors to the bar open as she entered finding it full of people smoking and drinking, she lowered her sunglasses as she scanned the room for the bartender. Quickly approaching the bar she stood off to the right side of it leaning against the empty part of the bar, she waved him down.

"What can I get for you today?" the bartender asked as he walked over.

"Water" was her one word answer.

"Coming right up" he reached under the bar placing a glass onto it and filling it with ice and water before passing it to her "Will that be all today?" he asked curiously.

"That depends, have you seen this woman before?" Yang asked showing a picture of Raven Branwen on her scroll to the man, he sighed.

"This again? How many of you people are there looking for this woman?" he asked with an exasperated sigh.

"Who else is looking for this woman?" Yang asked surprised by the man's statement.

"The man in the corner with the cigar was asking about her earlier, I don't know who he is or what his business with her is but you might want to ask him if you want to find her" he answered "Just don't start anything in my bar please, he seems the roguish type"

"Thank you, I promise I wont be initiating any fights today. I will defend myself if it comes down to it though" she warned gulping down the water quickly and then approaching the man in the corner. The man never looked up from his drink as he took another swig with a cigar held between his fingers in his left hand.

"You don't look like my waitress" the man said placing the glass on the table.

"You must have some really stellar vision to know that, you never looked up from your drink the whole time I've been here" Yang replied.

"Peripheral vision is a beautiful thing isn't it?" he asked with a small smirk "I was able to see you weren't my waitress without even looking at you, and you've kept your eye on me without even looking in my direction the whole time you were talking to the bartender"

"You're observant" she noted slightly impressed.

"Only way to stay alive these days" he replied as he took a puff of his cigar, he gestured toward the empty booth across the table from him "Take a seat, I know why you're here"

"What exactly am I here for then?" Yang asked intrigued as she took a seat across from him, placing her sunglasses on the table and removing her coat.

"You're looking for your mother" he replied simply.

Yang reeled back in shock, her mouth hanging agape "H-how did you know that? Just who are you exactly?"

"You walked over to the bartender and showed him a picture on your scroll, he sent you to me. Therefore you're searching for Raven Branwen, the bandit chief I am also hunting"

"But how did you know-"

"That Raven is your mother? You're her spitting image" he laughed "It'd be hard not to notice the similarities between the two of you, I have been showing her picture around for the past two weeks now, and you're far too young to just be her sister or something. Therefore I could only come to one conclusion... nice arm by the way" he pointed his cigar toward her prosthetic arm.

"Just who are you?" Yang asked deeply intrigued by the man as she placed her arm under the table self consciously.

"It's rude to ask for someone's name without first giving your own"

"Yang Xiao Long" she replied.

"Slade Stroud" he answered bringing his glass up to his lips.

"What's your interest in my mother?"

"I'm a Bounty Hunter, she's got a bounty on her. Need I say more?" he answered with a shrug.

"You're a Bounty Hunter? I would've thought you were a Huntsman"

"Your sister said the same thing" he chuckled.

"You've seen my sister?" she asked surprised "Where? Was she okay? Who was with her-"

"Calm down, Yang. Ruby is fine, she and her friends attacked me when they thought I was the culprit behind a string of attacks on a nearby town and the mayor hired them to take it down. Fortunately for me they weren't that tough, I barely broke a sweat keeping them at bay. We worked together to take down the Grimm attacking the town when it showed up in the middle of our fight. I allowed them to take the credit so they didn't have to share the bounty with me or anything" he explained.

"Was Uncle Qrow with them?"

"Qrow Branwen" Slade said his name with an incredible amount of venom in his tone, surprising Yang "That drunk was lurking around in the shadows as always, keeping his distance to make sure she was safe but didn't interfere at all during the two encounters" he answered slightly annoyed.

"You seem like you know my Uncle pretty well" Yang pointed out.

"Qrow and I have known each other for quite a few years now..." he replied.

"Where you two friends or something?" Yang asked curiously "You're far too young to be one of his classmates"

"I suppose you could've called us friends once... but much like how your mother failed you, Qrow failed me when I needed him the most. Time and time again he was always too late"

"What exactly did he do?"

"I already told you, it's what he failed to do. His only redeeming quality, is he never lied to me... not like Ozpin"

"You knew Ozpin?"

"Everyone knows Ozpin" Slade chuckled "Unfortunately not enough people know the real Ozpin, the man responsible for every death caused by his damned war"

"War?" Yang asked surprised "What war?"

"The same war that gave you that arm" he answered.

"How do you know where I got this arm?"

"It's Atlesian" Slade answered with a shrug "General Ironwood was in Vale around the same time of the attack on Beacon. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out he gave you that arm as a reward for fighting so bravely... besides, you were all over the news not long before the attack for Mercury's stunt in the tournament and you still had your arm then"

"You think Mercury was behind that?" she asked surprised yet again "Most people, even some of my classmates and teachers thought I was responsible. Why would you-?"

"Because wherever Mercury is, Emerald is not far behind. Her Semblance is the only thing that could've made you perceive an attack from him instead of what actually happened... she tricked you"

Yang stared back at him in shock "You know a lot for just some random Bounty Hunter" she narrowed her eyes "Just who are you exactly?"

"Slade Stroud" he answered with a small smirk "Let's just say I've led an eventful career and leave it at that" Slade remained silent for a moment before continuing "Ozpin could've stopped all of it you know"

"It doesn't really matter now does it?" Yang asked looking down at the table "Ozpin's dead"

Slade laughed "We'll see how long that sticks"

"Excuse me?" she asked confused.

"Let what your mother has done be a lesson to you Yang. No matter who it is, how much you trust them or how much they matter to you... No one sticks around forever"

"That's a little pessimistic don't you think?" she asked.

"If it's not by their own choice, someone else makes the decision for them" Slade replied.

"How can you be so sure?"

"Ozpin is gone isn't he?" Slade asked shocking Yang.

"Touchy subject, got it" Yang sighed " Back to the reason I'm here then. Do you know where my mother is hiding?" Yang asked hopefully.

Slade relaxed slightly at the change of topic "I received word from one of my contacts that she and her bandits are hold up somewhere in this region, I don't often come around here so I don't know the place very well. That's why my search has hit a bit of a snag. Heard a rumor of some shifty looking stranger hanging around a fuel station not far from here, figured I would investigate and see if he knows anything" he explained.

"Let me come with you, working together we can find her faster and stand a better chance against her if it comes down to a fight-"

"I work alone, kid. I gave you the information you asked for, now you can go looking for her if you want and do whatever it is you plan on doing once you find her. I on the other hand, shall be taking the pretty penny out on her head" Slade replied finishing off his drink.

"Working alone is only going to get you killed against her, my mother is very strong. Fighting her and the entire camp all at once isn't going to be something you can do on your own" Yang explained.

"You make a good point, but you haven't convinced me. I've seen your sister fight, I haven't ever seen you before and I can't say I expect much more from you-"

"Hey" a gruff voice called from beside him grabbing his attention "Slade Stroud?" asked the man sternly with a group of four men behind him.

"Depends on who's asking" Slade replied without even looking at him as he took another puff of his cigar "Unless you're looking to hire my services, I am currently unavailable, as you can see the lady and I are negotiating"

"Adam Taurus says "Hello" the man replied. Turning to Yang he pointed toward the door "Beat it, we're here for him"

"I told Taurus I'm done working with him" Slade replied, taking notice of Yang's boiling temper.

 _She knows Taurus?_ he wondered to himself _Perhaps she's going to be more interesting than I thought_

"You worked with Adam Taurus?" she asked struggling to reel in her anger.

"Taurus has provided me with the odd job here and there. So long as he's paying, I'm working" Slade replied honestly.

"How could you stand working for that scumbag?" Yang asked through gritted teeth.

"The same way everyone deals with the bosses they hate... money" Slade answered rubbing two of his fingers together as he said the final word.

"That's it? No radical loyalty to him or the White Fang? What about his associates? The ones behind the attack on Vale and Beacon?" Yang asked surprising Slade with her knowledge.

"I don't know how you know about them and I don't care, I work for whoever is paying. When I sign a contract, nothing is going to stop me from completing that contract"

"Enough talking!" yelled the man in charge of the group "This is your last chance to leave before things get ugly"

"Taurus clearly isn't very smart, sending you wannabes after a professional" Slade chuckled.

"We'll show you who's a wannabe-" one of his men said approaching Slade, he was interrupted by Slade's cigar in his gut burning him as his free hand slammed into his abdomen repeatedly. The first man reached to grab Yang only for her to push his hand away from her spinning as she did, raising her left leg up as she turned she pressed the bottom of her boot against his throat, effectively slamming him on the table and choking him before punching him in the face.

Another man approached Yang with a bottle in hand, flipping it over as to strike her with it he raised his hand up only for Slade to catch his forearm in his hand. Slade twisted the man's arm painfully before smashing his fist into his face wrenching the bottle from his hand, another thug approached Slade from behind as he turned around smashing the bottle across his face. Turning back to the man in his grip, Slade kicked him in the chest sending him stumbling onto his back. The fourth man approached Slade with his fist pulled back to strike, he ducked under his arm and grabbed the man by the throat holding him in the air over him, Yang released the man from the table and kicked Slade's victim in the abdomen, throwing him onto a table nearby shattering it and angering the people sitting at the table previously.

Slade and Yang shrugged at each other as the man behind them stood back up, they both kicked him in the chest throwing him onto the table as they charged the angered men. The first man had a knife in hand as he struck for Slade, he sidestepped the attack placing his arms around the man's midsection and hoisting him off his feet then slamming him through the table behind him. The second man kicked for Slade only to be sidestepped then punched towards his face, Slade blocked the strike catching the man's head between his arms, he slammed his face into the nearby table shattering a glass with it.

Yang kicked her assailants weapon away from her then slammed her fist into his face as a second man approached, she caught his arm pulling it around her as she turned around his back sweeping his leg out from under him and slamming her fist into his face as he dropped onto his back. The first assailant attacked her once more only to find Yang catching his arm in her arms and twisting it as she spun with him keeping him trapped in her grip. Yang looked up to see one of Slade's attackers using a chair to strike at him, smashing bottles on the table as he did. Yang's attacker pushed her back against the bar as he broke from her grip. Yang ducked under his strike for her face then pushed a second attacker's arm away from her stumbling him into the bar as she spun to punch the first man in the groin and turn back to the second and kicking him in the chest back into the bar. Turning back to the first man she leapt onto her back as he swung for her being kicked in the back of the head and then pushing herself back up onto her feet with her hands from her current position, looking back at the enraged man she watched as a shot glass smashed against his face having been thrown by Slade. Yang kicked the back of the man's leg as Slade came over to kick him in the face, Yang looked over to him and smirked.

"Not done yet" Slade sighed as several more men joined the fight.

"You'd think they'd figure out they're gonna get their asses kicked" Yang said somewhat surprised by the stupidity of their attackers.

Yang picked up a pool cue striking the first man that approached her, Slade punched the man in the chest with the back of his fist stumbling him backward. The second assailant received the end of the cue to his abdomen before Slade elbowed him in the face and Yang smacked the cue across his face, the third approached Slade ready to strike only to be floored as Slade swept his legs out from under him. Yang and Slade went back to back as the men stood back up off the ground.

"I think they want more" Yang smirked.

"Should've stayed down" Slade sighed.

The four of them charged at Slade and Yang as she handed him the cue, ducking underneath the cue as he spun it around his head smashing it into their assailants faces as it swung, he then used it to block another cue coming down toward him from the attacker on his left as Yang rushed the one behind him. Slade blocked the cue once more and redirected a chair being used by the second attacker dropping him to his knees, he smashed the end of the cue into his head then blocked another strike from the other. Yang blocked a punch from her attacker with her forearm then kicked him in the chest, blocking a second punch she twisted the man's arm over her shoulder flipping him onto his back.

One of the men attacking Slade picked up a bar stool and lifted it above his head to strike Slade, he managed to only break the cue. The three men charged him as he held the two halves of the cue in each hand with a smirk. Slade ducked under the bar stool swinging for his head slamming the right cue into his abdomen as he passed by, then using the left cue to push the man holding a chair in his hand aside by the chair leg; the third man held a bottle that swung toward Slade, he used the left cue to smash the bottle as he swung with it and the right cue to slam it down onto the man's head from above, knocking him to the ground. The second man stood back up with the chair still in hand, Slade slammed the right cue into the man's legs dropping him onto his knees then used the left to knock him unconscious by slamming his face into the floor.

Yang rolled over a table as her attacker struck then kicked the table into his leg's dropping him onto the floor, she punched the second in the abdomen then kneed him in the face as he pulled his head down toward her leg, sweeping his legs out from under the man caused him to fall and crash through the nearby table shattering it. Slade blocked a cue with both of his redirecting it onto a nearby table before smacking the man in his shoulder with his left cue then in the back of his head with both of them dropping him onto the bar. The man grabbed a bottle from the bar swinging it at Slade, he simply blocked the attack placing his right arm underneath his groin he lifted the man off his feet and flipped him over his shoulder onto the nearby pool table, Yang slammed her foot down onto his face knocking him unconscious. The fourth man charged at Slade as Yang charged at him from the opposite side, Slade grabbed Yang by the underside of her arm and threw her through the air flipping once as she did, she smashed her boot across the man's face easily dropping him onto the ground.

Two men entered the bar as the dust cleared revealing a gun in the hand of the first, Slade threw the cue in his right hand knocking the gun from his hand as it fired dropping to the floor. Slade and Yang charged toward the men as they struggled to grab the weapon, Slade tossed the cue over the table between them to Yang as she reached her hand out to catch it effortlessly. Yang threw the cue into the man's hand as he grabbed the weapon causing him to drop it, Slade leapt between them kicking the man on the right in the chest, pushing himself into the one on the left and using his arm to wrap around his neck and flip him onto his back as Yang did the same using her legs on the right attacker, they both punched the other unconscious while atop them.

"Not bad" Slade said looking back to Yang "I must admit you're better than I imagined you'd be. I might've actually been impressed" he chuckled.

"So you'll work with me then?" Yang asked.

"Just this once, I don't work well with others" he answered.

"You seemed to work with me just fine"

"I'm not good for your health, Yang. No one who hangs around with me stays alive very long" he warned "Don't make the same mistake they did"

Slade walked over to the bar looking over it to find the bartender hiding behind it, he placed a large amount of Lien on the bar in front of him "Sorry about the mess, this should cover any expenses to replace anything we might've broken and my tab to top it off" he apologized turning toward the door "If the authorities ask what happened here you don't mention my name or I will come back here and they'll be looking for a replacement bartender" he warned just before walking out the door.

"You wouldn't really do that would you?" Yang asked.

"I wont need to if he keeps his mouth shut" he answered "It's one thing I do not like doing, having to silence noisy people. If they kept their mouth shut they wouldn't have a problem" he answered truthfully.

"Aren't you going to question these guys on Adam's whereabouts?" Yang asked confused.

"They're hitmen, they won't know anything more than he wants them to know. Besides, we have a more important target at the moment" he answered.

"I suppose that's true" Yang relented following him out of the bar.

"Now come on, we need to reach the next town over before we can start investigating the rumor I heard, we should reach it by sunrise tomorrow if we leave now"

"The next town over is only six or seven miles from here" Yang pointed out confused.

"It's six PM right now, Ms. Xiao Long. Walking takes a lot longer than you might think"

"Walking? No, no, no, I have Bumblebee for that, we can make it before sundown"

"What the hell is Bumblebee?" Slade asked confused.

* * *

 **Well that's chapter one for ya! I hope you all like it, if not. I wish you luck in finding something more suited to you. For those of you sticking around, the next chapter will be coming as soon as possible! I already have most of it finished but needs some last minute touch ups.**

 **See ya later!**


	2. Partners?

**Hey guys, I finally got around to finishing chapter two for you guys. Unfortunately this week has been pretty hectic at work which has been cutting into my free time considerably. I will still be working on this story at every opportunity I have but the chapters may come out slower from here on out due to the time crunch. Thank you guys for reading and I hope you all enjoy.**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing!**

"Speech"

 _Thoughts_

* * *

 **Chapter Two: Partners?**

"This isn't very comfortable" Slade sighed, holding onto Yang's waist riding on the back of Bumblebee.

"It's comfortable for me" she replied with a smirk.

"Funny" he groaned in mild annoyance "May I ask what your sister is doing all the way out here?" Slade asked curiously "She's a bit too young to be a Huntress"

"Ruby is hoping to stop Cinder's next attack, and I wouldn't underestimate her because of her age. Ruby is the youngest student to ever be accepted into Beacon Academy at only age fifteen"

 _Interesting_ Slade thought to himself considering their similar situations _Hopefully that's where our similarities end_ _, for her sake_

"Cinder? Cinder Fall?" Slade asked curiously

"You've met her?" Yang asked surprised.

"Only briefly" he replied "I'm just glad I never have to meet with that sadist ever again"

"I see she didn't leave a good impression on you" Yang pointed out curious as to how he knew her.

"She certainly did not, she uses pain to not only torture her victims but also as a means of sating her bloodlust. I however only use pain as a tool to gain information"

"I know what you mean, intimidation can go a long way in gaining information. What exactly were you meeting with Cinder about?" Yang asked.

"She and I didn't see eye to eye on her... methods when in came to accomplishing a... certain task" he answered.

"Such as?" Yang asked growing more curious by his avoidance of the subject. Slade silently debated telling her the truth or lying to the blonde "Slade?" she asked, thinking he didn't hear her.

"I was recommended to her by an associate... a friend... Cinder hired me for a job. Officially I had been told we would be securing a stolen item. Not an unusual reason for wanting someone hunted down. This time, however... Cinder already knew where the man was but not what he had taken from her" Slade remained silent as he collected his thoughts "She gathered a team of specialists to assist her along with the White Fang to secure the town he resided in as mayor. I knew something was wrong but trusted my friend not to steer me wrong"

"What happened?"

"After we had secured the civilians safely without hurting anyone beyond the occasional fatality of the security guards" he explained "Cinder tortured the mayor for the location of someone name Amber. The man was completely fearless, refusing to give up it's location no matter what she did to him. Knowing she couldn't make him talk, she decided to try something different. That's when Cinder and I had a falling out. I left and refused to associate with anyone involved with that job, though that doesn't seem to stop people like Taurus from sending men after me no matter how many times they fail"

"Sounds like a good time"

"Maybe for you" he chuckled "I got the sense you enjoyed that bar brawl we had back there"

"Didn't you?"

"Let's just say I enjoy fighting superior adversaries, not local gangsters. Although sometimes those are the only game in town"

"I see it now" Yang laughed "The way you see everyone with money on their head as prey for you to hunt and you see money as the only thing that matters in the world. Definitely a bounty hunter"

Slade remained silent looking up at the blue sky above them deep in thought "Money is the only thing people understand, it is the only thing that matters because..." he left his statement unfinished.

"You're really good at talking about yourself without giving anything away" Yang pointed out "You don't have to put up a wall when you're around everyone you know, some people really do just want to get to know you better because they care"

"Maybe if you knew me better you'd understand" Slade sighed "Then again if you knew me enough to understand me you'd be dead" he shrugged.

"That's a delightful thought" Yang sweatdropped.

"Cinder better keep looking over her shoulder if someone ever puts a bounty out on her, I'd come to collect in a heartbeat" he smirked.

"Hope you don't mind me joining in on that action" Yang piped up "What exactly did Cinder do that caused you to leave anyway?"

"Another time" Slade replied looking to the sign on the upcoming fuel station named "Just Rite" Yang slowed to a stop just outside.

"This is our stop" Slade announced quickly dismounting Bumblebee and entering the station with Yang silently following behind him. They both entered to find a bartender cleaning a glass in his hands

"Aren't you a little young to be drinking?" the bartender asked looking to Yang.

Yang Xiao Long takes off her aviator sunglasses "A water. It's hot out"

"Ohhh. Sure, anything for you, sir?" he asked politely.

"Just a water for the lady, thanks" Slade replied leaning against the bar with his arms crossed over his chest.

"Coming right up" he disappears below the counter as laughter comes from the drunk man a few seats down from Yang.

"Are you telling me you're too young to drink? You look like a regular Huntress. And a beauty at that"

"I'm good. Thanks, pal" Yang attempted to shrug him off.

he approached Yang undeterred "Seriously. Not too bulky. Not too lean. You're..."

"Just right. Yup. Like I said, I'm good"

"I wouldn't if I were you" Slade warned without turning to look at the man "She's got a mean right hook"

The mook puts his hand on the countertop next to Yang with a soft moan before reaching out with his other ignoring Slade's warning "And your hair..." Yang grabs his wrist before he can touch her hair. When she turns to face him, her eyes are glowing red, startling him "Huh?"

He barely glances in the correct direction before Yang's metal fist slams into the side of his face. Falling backward, a tooth knocked out of his mouth, the man hits the floor and continues to bounce floor-to-ceiling toward the exit like a pinball before disappearing through the doors. As the doors close behind him, the "Open" sign flips around to "Closed".

"Left hook is killer though" Slade chuckled.

"He was too drunk to listen to sense" Yang replied as her eyes returned to normal.

straightening and setting the bottle of water on the counter "This one's on the house. He's been driving me crazy" the bartender said gratefully.

Yang reaches for it with her left hand, but it trembles. Her metal hand grabs and steadies it. She gives a long, shaky sigh before picking up the bottle and guzzling the water down. Slade didn't fail to take notice of this but chose not to comment.

"So, what brings you both around these parts?" Yang holds up a finger, still guzzling until the water is gone.

"Thanks. And we're, uh, looking for someone" she answered causing the man to chuckle.

"Not too many people come out here. Too far from the Kingdoms. Only person worth notin' around here is... well, Ra—"

Raven Branwen" she cut him off retrieving her glasses and heading out "Thanks again"

"N-now, missy! You don't want to go messin' with bandits! They're a world of trouble!" he warned concerned for her.

"So I hear" Yang replied pushing the door open.

"Thanks for the drink" Slade nodded to the man.

"Hey, girlie!" The Shady Man called after her as she exits the station.

"Seriously? This isn't over?" Yang asked impatiently.

Getting to his feet "I heard you're... looking for someone. Heh" He gives her a toothless grin.

"What do you know about Ms. Branwen?" Slade asked raising an eyebrow suspiciously.

 _This must be the stranger I heard about lurking here, the bartender did say he's been driving him mad_ Slade concluded _Guess we'll just have to make him talk_ he smirked.

"I know where her camp is, I can take you to her-"

"That won't be necessary, just point us in the right direction and we'll be on our way" Slade interjected.

"It's not something I can explain to you, I just have to show you the way" the man insisted.

"You buying this?" Slade asked looking over to Yang.

"Nope, he's full of it. Besides there's not enough room on Bumblebee for all three of us anyway. You're gonna have to tell us where they are if you don't want me to kick your ass again" Yang warned.

"I get my ass kicked everyday, one more time isn't gonna change much" he laughed.

"I'm giving you one last chance before I break your arms" Yang growled.

"No can do-"

"Alright that's enough of that" Yang cracked her knuckles, Slade placed his hand onto her shoulder stopping her.

"Allow me, you'll find I'm a rather skilled negotiator" he chuckled as he stepped forward.

"Have at him" Yang said gesturing toward the man.

"Ain't nothin' you can say that's gonna-" Slade removed his revolver from it's holster and fired it into the man's leg causing him to drop to the ground screaming in pain.

"I'm sorry I didn't quite catch that the first time, perhaps you could repeat it for me" Slade said crouching down next to him.

"Raven's gonna kill you for this, you're both dead-" he fired again into the other leg just as the bartender ran outside to see what happened. Slade aimed the weapon toward him without looking at the man.

"You didn't see a thing" Slade yelled sternly causing the man to frantically nod in agreement and rush back inside "I'm terribly sorry but I just couldn't quite hear you the second time either, must be a strong wind out today or something. I'm going to ask again: Where is Raven Branwen?"

The man pulled out his scroll and handed it to Slade "Please stop shootin' me" he begged.

"Her location is in this?" Slade asked.

"I promise, it's the only location in my GPS other than this place"

"Do you think he's telling the truth?" Slade asked looking back to Yang.

"I'd say so" she nodded surprised by his brutality.

"I don't know, Yang. I think he might be holding out on us"

"I'm not! I swear!" the man begged as tears streamed down his face.

"I don't know, maybe I should even out the other row of teeth just to be sure" Slade said as a slowly blade emerged from his gauntlet stopping just in front of his face.

"Slade" Yang called "He's told us everything, you've already shot him twice, he won't be walking again for awhile. You don't need to do anything more to him"

Slade sighed in disappointment, his blade retracting quickly "You're a soft one, Yang... I suppose just this once I could leave him with all of his body parts intact... pray we don't ever meet again" Slade smirked standing back up, he holstered his weapon once more "Let's move, we've got a meeting with your mother to attend and I would hate to be late"

"Y-yeah" Yang agreed, quickly mounting Bumblebee with Slade doing the same, placing his hands around her waists as to not fall off. Yang quickly accelerated to get as far from the station as possible, there was a brief moment of silence between them as Slade filtered through the scroll's information to find the location of Raven's camp, having easily hacked into the device. Yang pulled off the road into the woods a short way before stopping and turning herself to stare at Slade questioningly.

"I'm not one for conversation, Yang. Whatever it is you're going to ask, just get on with it" Slade said never looking up from the screen.

"You were gonna mutilate that man back there"

"That's not a question, that's a statement" he pointed out.

"Why?" she asked not understanding.

"Why was I going to mutilate that man?" Slade clarified, earning a nod in return "I wasn't" he answered simply.

"You... weren't?" she asked tilting her head in confusion.

"I have a particular reputation I would like to keep intact. I knew you would never agree with me when I provided the threat of mutilation, I simply had to play along like I was surprised and annoyed by your response" Slade explained.

"You used me to keep your "image" intact?" Yang asked somewhat understanding.

"Precisely" he replied looking up from the device "My Clients need to know I am willing to do anything to fulfill my contract"

"Anything?" Yang asked skeptically.

"Anything" he answered "Well... anything short of sexual harassment. That's a step too far so..." he clarified in a joking manner.

"What else do you want your clients to know about you?" she asked curiously.

"Only that I will do any job you give me so long as you pay my fee" he replied "I work for everyone and anyone that can afford me. Nothing short of that is acceptable to me"

"You really only care about money that much?" Yang asked in disappointment "What about your friends and family?"

Slade sighed "No one sticks around forever, Yang"

"Well there must be someone you care-"

"Let me stop you right there sweetheart, I don't care about anyone-"

"Don't call me sweetheart"

"Whatever cupcake-" Yang grabbed him by his collar pulling them both off the vehicle as her eyes blazed red.

"Don't push your luck, Slade" she growled.

"What're you gonna do, sugarplum? Threaten me to death?" he asked.

Yang pulled her hand back to punch him only to stop at the piercing feeling in her abdomen, looking down she found Slade holding a knife to her abdomen in a lethal striking position "How did-"

"I'm ready for anything, Yang. Never let someone goad you into a fight, it'll always end badly for you when you fight angry" he warned breaking himself of her grip and quickly sheathing the knife "Goading your enemy into striking first gives you the advantage, you then have the ability to anticipate their next move while taking full advantage of any openings they leave as a result" Slade added turning away from her.

"You were testing me?" she asked with a smirk.

"Wanted to see just how far I could push you before you snapped. Yang... you really need to work on that anger of yours, if you keep using it during your fights you're gonna end up dead" he warned looking back toward her.

"It's worked well for me so far" she argued.

"That arm of yours tells a different story" he replied shocking her, she looked away ashamed "We all make mistakes, Yang. The question is: Can you learn from them?" he asked leaving her with a lot to think about.

"I-"

"We should set up camp" Slade interrupted her "Once we've rested we can head to Raven's camp first thing in the morning" he explained.

"Y-yeah" Yang agreed, wiping a single tear from her face before heading back over to Bumblebee to start unpacking her gear. "Can I ask you something?" she asked hesitantly.

"You may, depending on the question, you may even get an answer" he replied without looking at her.

"You said you worked for Adam Taurus in the past... did he ever have someone with him?"

"With him?" Slade asked turning toward her not quite understanding "Like Cinder?"

"Forget it" she waved off dismissively.

Slade wondered what she wanted to hear for a moment as he continued gathering wood and kindling to make a fire, he dismissed it.

* * *

 **(Nine Years Ago)**

Slade walked through the meadow with his hand locked with an older girl's, no more than five years between the two.

"Do you have to go so soon, Elise?" Slade asked, the disappointment evident on his face.

"Yes, Slade. I really do, Beacon's first semester starts next week just like every year" Elise answered her younger brother in an amused tone.

"Why can't you stay?" Slade asked, unable to mask his growing sadness.

"If I stay I'll never become a powerful Huntress like Mom and Dad will I? Mal will still be around to teach you whenever you want and I promise I will be back every school break to visit you guys"

"Promise?" Slade asked hopeful.

"It's a promise" Elise assured him holding up her pinky toward him "You know once you make a pinky promise you can't break it right?" Elise asked with a smile.

"Uh-huh, everyone knows that" Slade said as if it were obvious.

"Then you know I will never break my promise to come back whenever I can, maybe you can all come visit me during the Vytal Festival" she offered trying to cheer up her younger sibling.

"That would be awesome! It's a promise" Slade practically yelled locking pinky fingers with her.

"I promise"

"What're you two going on about?" Malachite asked as he entered the clearing "Don't tell me you're still letting her buy you into her dumb promises" he sighed with a slight shake of her head "Elise loves us too much to just stay away forever you know, she doesn't have to promise that for me to know it" he explained. Malachite had a darker complexion than Slade's own pale, matching his sister's. Light brown hair and emerald eyes with just the smallest hint of stubble lining his chin and a large muscular physique.

"Slade's just making sure I'm still the same big sis he's come to love" Elise laughed standing back up straight "What're you doing out here anyway? Didn't dad tell you to clear out the Beowolves near the-"

"Yes he did and yes I have, unfortunately I found something else in there I think Mom and Dad would like to see" Mal replied rubbing his sore shoulder.

"What did you find?" Elise asked curiously.

"Is it treasure!?" Slade asked getting excited.

"Not this time little buddy" Mal chuckled tussling Slade's hair with his open hand as he continued nursing his shoulder.

"You planning on showing us what it is?" Elise asked.

"I suppose he's old enough that Mom and Dad will be fine bringing you to check it out before them, just keep Slade on a short leash. That hand cannon ain't gonna do much if he can't hit anything with it" Mal laughed at Slade's annoyed expression.

"I can too hit things with it! I hit the bullseye four times yesterday with Mom!" Slade said proudly.

"Well at least you can hit a target sitting perfectly still now, someday you'll be able to use it on a moving target" Mal smirked proud of his little brother.

"You just watch, he'll be a marksman before you know it" Elise said as she walked past Malachite "C'mon, Slade. Stay close to me" she called with a gesture of her hand as her left hand moved to take the rifle from her back into her hands.

"Coming!" Slade called after her as he rushed to catch up with her.

"Are you sure we shouldn't run Slade home first?" Mal asked concerned "He's a little young to be out here hunting Grimm with us"

"He's only a year younger than you and I were when we started hunting Grimm with Mom and Dad, it'll be just like that. Besides, whatever you've found could be gone by the time we round back with Mom and Dad"

"True" Mal sighed "Let's just make sure we don't run into anything then" Mal said as they silently approached a small cave in the center of the forest, hiding behind a nearby bush they looked into the cave using the scopes on their rifles.

"What exactly did you find?" Elise asked looking around the entrance to the cave.

"There were some Beowolves lurking around the cave, I took them down pretty easily but inside the cave I found what looked to be some type of planning room"

"Planning room?" Elise asked curiously.

"Looked to be some kind of plan for an attack on one of the neighboring towns to Vale, I couldn't figure out why someone would want to attack a town like that"

"Did you pick up anything we could use as evidence?" Elise asked curiously.

"No. If I did that, then whoever is behind this would know someone was here" he answered "I was going to take a picture of the plans but my scroll is still broken from the accident down at the shooting range"

"I said I was sorry" Slade argued.

Malachite chuckled "I know. Just wanted to rub it in a bit"

"The coast looks clear, what's the plan here?" Elise asked lowering her rifle.

"I figure we go in there and photograph anything we can see before leaving while someone keeps watch at the entrance for them coming back. Once we have what we need, we'll show it to Mom and Dad. They'll warn local law enforcement to the attack so they'll be prepared for it and likely go after the perpetrators themselves so they attack never happens to begin with" he explained.

"That makes sense to me-" Elise nodded in approval.

"Someone's moving inside the cave" Slade pointed out barely above a whisper.

Elise looked through the scope of her rifle once more to find a figure cloaked in shadow standing in the cave over the attack plans, the figure appeared to be that of a woman. She held her hand out toward the table at the back of the cave causing a small fireball to come shooting out of her hand onto the map and papers across the desk.

"She's burning the evidence!" Malachite gasped in shock.

"Who would be dumb enough to hide in a cave guarded by Grimm" Elise wondered aloud.

"Someone who doesn't want to get caught" an unknown voice said from behind them.

"Who-?" Elise began to ask turning to see Malachite jumping in front of her and Slade blocking the blade with his own rifle as it transformed into an axe.

"You're a quick one" the voice said as a man appeared in front of them from thin air "I'm surprised you were even able to tell where I was going to strike" the man continued with a small chuckle.

"Who are you?" Elise asked aiming her rifle toward him.

"Someone you don't want to cross, my boss is getting rid of all the evidence we left behind. But of course I can't just let a bunch of brats like you get away and squeal to the cops-" Elise interrupted him by firing her rifle forcing the man to leap backward vanishing in thin air.

"Damn it!" Elise growled.

"How rude of you to interrupt me when I answered your question. I'm gonna make your death especially painful" the man said with a low chuckle.

"His Semblance allows him to become invisible somehow, we have to be careful" Malachite warned.

"What should we do?" Slade asked.

"I can use my Semblance to keep track of him. Elise, take Slade and get as much evidence from the cave as you can before it's incinerated"

"His boss is bolting" Elise pointed out as the woman pulled the hood over the front of her face as she exited the cave running away from them.

"Leave her, she could be working with others. Get the evidence and we have a chance of stopping the attack" Mal said.

"On it" Elise leapt over the bush with Slade following quickly behind.

"Alright, come out of hiding" Mal growled "I can hear and smell you already, there's no hiding from me" Malachite suddenly jerked toward the cave leaping over the bush and striking for the invisible man as he attempted to sneak by him, the man appeared as he blocked the strike with his own mace.

"How can you track me so easily?" the man asked confused.

"My Semblance is rather unique" Malachite smirked "I can enhance any or all of my senses to inhuman levels so I can detect you from anywhere even if I cannot see you" he explained.

"Now I get it" the man sighed "You weren't kidding when you said you could hear me"

"Don't forget smell you, it's like you haven't bathed in weeks" he mocked.

"I'll show you not to mess with me!" the man yelled smashing his head into Malachite's throwing him onto his back. Malachite rolled to his feet, swinging his axe upward as he rose, throwing the man back somewhat from the strike.

The man remained invisible, sneaking around behind Malachite. Turning around abruptly, he slammed his axe into the man's chest, his axe was caught in the man's hands as he slid back from the force. Pulling himself forward, he slammed his arm into Malachite's face, knocking him onto his back painfully.

"I've got the evidence!" Elise yelled holding her scroll up triumphantly as the rest of the map on the wall burned to ash along with the papers on the table in front of her.

"Not for long you don't" the man growled rushing them inside the cave.

"Elise, look out!" Malachite yelled with concern as he struggled to his feet.

"Where!?" she asked struggling to find the man. a single gunshot rang out in the cave echoing out into the forest around them.

Elise and Malachite looked on in shock as Slade stood holding his revolver steady with both hands as the man became visible, he stood primed to attack his sister frozen in place.

"H-how... did you..." the man dropped onto his back without uttering another word.

"Slade... how did you know where he was?" Elise asked in shock and amazement of what he just did.

"I... I don't know, I could almost feel him like I could sense his anger and hatred" Slade explained "I'm not sure how though"

"You've unlocked your aura" Elise smiled brightly "And an amazingly sensitive one at that, I didn't even know you could sense someone's emotion with your aura"

"That's pretty unique" Malachite agreed "I wonder what your Semblance will turn out to be" he smiled down at him.

"You won't be getting off that easy" the man groaned from the floor as he held his scroll in hand, the man pressed his thumb to the screen setting off multiple explosions throughout the cave structure "I'll see you all in hell" he passed out shortly afterward.

"We must get out of here!" Elise yelled grabbing Slade's hand and rushing toward the exit with Malachite taking charge as the cave collapsed around them. Elise was suddenly struck in the head with a falling rock knocking her and Slade both to the ground.

"Elise, Slade!" Malachite yelled turning back toward them. Looking up he found a massive boulder falling toward them, he acted quickly using the back of his axe to scoop Slade up throwing him to safety shortly followed by Elise herself with his free hand just before the boulder fell atop him. The cave entrance completely collapsed trapping them as the cave settled.

Slade was the first to get back up from the ground "Elise? Malachite? Are you guys-" Slade stopped dead at the sight before him, Malachite's head was the only part of his body showing from beneath the boulder crushing him.

"No..." Elise gasped at the sight.

"Are you both alright?" Mal asked coughing up the blood pooling in his mouth "You're not hurt are you?" he asked concerned.

"Mal... you have a boulder crushing your entire body" Elise pointed out beginning to panic.

"Yeah, it's not the most comfortable position I've ever been in" he groaned "You need to get Slade out of here. It may have stopped for now, but the cave could collapse on us at any moment"

"We're not leaving you!" Slade yelled as he sobbed.

"You don't have a choice, if you both die here then what I did would be for nothing and no one will ever see the evidence we found to stop the attack" Malachite explained "Don't kill yourselves over me, I know you're both going to do great things someday... things I could never dream of"

"But-" Slade tried to protest.

"He's right, Slade. As much as I hate to admit it, we need to get out of here so I can get you home safe. Mom and Dad will know what to do with this evidence"

"But what about him!?" he asked frantically.

"It's okay, Slade. No matter what happens to me, I want you both to know I couldn't have asked for better siblings" he coughed "Now go!" he yelled with the last of his strength as his lungs collapsed from the weight of the boulder. Elise picked up his axe and smashed it through the nearby wall opening a path out and causing the cave to begin collapsing again.

"We have to go"

"I'm not leaving him" Slade insisted.

"You're not being given a choice" Elise picked him up with one arm, slinging him over her shoulder and running out of the collapsing cave.

"Malachite!" Slade yelled just as their exit collapsed.

 _Keep Slade safe for me, will you, Elise?_ Malachite thought with a small smile on his face _At least I know they'll be safe_

Elise ran as fast as she could as Slade's cries and shouts died off the farther they got, finally she dropped onto her knees in exhaustion, dropping Slade as well. They both sat there just staring at each other with tears in their eyes before sorrowfully embracing one another "I'm sorry, Slade. I didn't want to leave him either" she sobbed.

"I know" Slade sunk his head into her shoulders "I'm sorry I made it so hard on you... I just... I couldn't..."

"It's alright, Slade. You shouldn't have had to, it was my own dumb fault for not paying enough attention to where I was going. I should've seen that rock before it hit me"

"It's not your fault, Sis"

Low growls could be heard around them forcing Elise to her feet placing Slade behind her for safety "Stay behind me" she told him sternly as several different types of Grimm showed themselves, Ursi and Beowolves alike.

"Sis?" Slade looked up at her with fear.

"It'll be alright if you stay close to me-" the Grimm charged her forcing her down onto one knee pushing Slade onto his back, causing him to hit his head on a tree stump, his vision was blurred greatly as a Beowulf approached him "Slade!" Elise called out with fear. Slade's vision darkened just as he caught the glint of something large and silver along with what appeared to be a blur of red, white and black just before he fell unconscious. Hearing only the sounds of a blade slicing through something and the sound of Grimm whimpering.

* * *

Slade was startled awake by the comforting hands of his mother, he looked around frantically trying to get his bearings "Elise?" he asked concerned.

"Slade!" his mother cried grabbing him into a hug as tears fell down her face "He's awake!" she called back through the wooden cottage, his father and sister both came racing upstairs with a stranger he hadn't seen before.

Slade's mother had a pale complexion with dark black hair, matching her youngest son's and piercing emerald eyes lined with tears of joy. His father stood about a head taller than her with a slightly darker complexion, much like Slade's siblings coupled with light brown hair and sky blue eyes with a full beard covering his face. The stranger had a pale white complexion with dark black hair, red eyes, and a thin line of stubble leading away from his chin.

"Son" his father rushed to his side, joining the hug with his son. I'm so glad you're alright" he barely managed to suppress a sob from escaping his lips.

"Thank goodness" Elise sighed in relief.

"Kid is tougher than he looks" the stranger remarked aloud taking a sip from his flask "Not too surprised though, not after what you told me he did back in that cave" he added with a smirk.

"Thank you, Qrow. We might never have seen either of them again if not for you" his mother said gratefully.

"Glad I could help... I'm only sorry I wasn't fast enough to save the other one too" he sighed remorsefully.

"Who are you?" Slade asked curiously.

"Qrow Branwen, at your service kiddo" Qrow introduced himself with a slight bow.

"You saved my sister and I?" Slade asked surprised.

"Don't look so shocked, kid. I'm a seasoned Huntsman" Qrow smirked "I'm sorry about your brother" he offered, his expression turning sour.

"You did your best, Qrow. You cannot blame yourself for what happened to Malachite, nor can either of you" Their father directed his statement to Elise and Slade sternly.

"Yes, sir" they both replied.

"You run a tight ship, Sinn. No doubt thanks to Viri's help" Qrow smirked.

"We have to, the world isn't going to get better on it's own. There needs to be strong Huntsmen and Huntresses to face the trials humanity has yet to face" Viridian said "Fortunately for us, Elise and Slade are coming along well with their lessons and shall be your top students in Signal and Beacon before long" she boasted proudly.

"I'm sure of it, they've already proven themselves enough to me today alone" Qrow smiled warmly at the family "Well, I shouldn't take up too much more of your time. I need to report what happened back to Ozpin... you know how it is"

"The old man can't be kept waiting too long" Viri laughed.

"Go, we'll speak more soon. Keep us updated" Sinn called after him.

"Will do, Ozpin will likely call on all of us again anyway" he chuckled as he walked downstairs.

"I'm so sorry" Slade said surprising his parents "If I had known what was going to happen, I would've stopped Malachite and Elise from going to that cave"

"None of you could of known what would've happened" Sinn sighed "It's unfortunate what happened and we will all miss him greatly, but we cannot allow his sacrifice to be in vain"

"Your father is right, you shouldn't focus on what could've been but on what will be. Focus on what you will do to make sure this doesn't happen to anyone else" Viridian agreed.

"Is Elise still going to Beacon next week?" Slade asked curiously.

"Yeah, I'm sorry, Slade. I-"

"Good" Slade smiled up at her, surprising everyone in the room "Malachite wouldn't want us to put our lives on hold for him, you should become the best Huntress you can be and help any friends you make to be the best they can be. Mom and Dad will keep training me so I can follow in your footsteps someday" Slade stated proudly shocking them all.

Viridian smiled brightly "Slade's right, Elise. You'll both honor his memory by becoming the best you can be"

"It's a promise" Slade said holding up his pinky, Elise smiled down at him, proud of him.

"It's a promise" she agreed intertwining their pinky fingers shortly followed by both of their parents.

"Look out world, the Strouds are gonna take you by storm" their father smiled at his wife proudly.

* * *

 **(Present Day)**

Slade laid on his back looking up at the starry night sky, the moon lighting the area he and Yang were resting in. Looking over toward Yang he felt his heart tighten in his chest at the thought of something happening to her.

 _This is why you don't form attachments, Slade. If you care about people, they always end up dying horrifically_ he reminded himself.

Somehow in the short time that he knew Yang, he had already grown fond of having her around. Yang lightened the mood he constantly darkened, she had such a brightness about her that he immediately understood what drew him to her. The same brightness his family had... the same brightness his friends had... the very same brightness he too once possessed but had lost due to his... curse.

"Never again" he reminded himself _Close yourself off from people like her and they'll never get hurt_ he believed he was keeping people safe from himself by pushing them away, it had been working so far... something was different about Yang though. Despite his demeanor toward her, she seemed determined to be as close to him as she could get. That thought alone scared him more than anything he could possibly imagine.

"Never again" he whispered aloud once more.

 _Elise, Malachite, Mother, Father, Willow, Dusk, Hazel... I'm sorry it took me so long to figure it out... I promise I won't let it happen again_

Slade looked over at Yang one last time before drifting off to sleep.

 _Never Again_

* * *

 **That's all for chapter two! Thanks for reading, hope you all liked it. For anyone wondering I left a list below of the names of each character I added in this chapter and the color associated with their name. I know some of them are pretty simple but they're what I decided to go with, I will have chapter three out soon for you guys so stay tuned for more!**

 **Elise (Liseran Purple)**

 **Malachite or Mal (Malachite)**

 **Viridian or Viri (Viridian)**

 **Sinn (Sinopia)**


	3. Shattered

**Chapter Three, ready and done! Hope you guys all like it, thank you all so much for reading. This chapter will give you your first look at Slade's Semblance. I plan on explaining his Semblance in full detail within the next few chapters but I haven't figured out exactly when to do it yet, for now his abilities will seem completely unrelated but once it's explained it will make more sense. Anyway, enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing!**

"Speech"

 _Thoughts_

* * *

 **Chapter Three: Shattered**

Bumblebee's engine roared as Slade and Yang drove toward the camp walls in front of them "Is this it?" Yang asked back to Slade.

"This is the place if the information on this thing is to be believed" he answered holding up the scroll from the bandit back at the station.

"Good, I need to see her" Yang said parking in front of the entrance surprising several guards standing outside.

"They don't look too happy to see us. Your mother isn't expecting you is she?" he asked tossing the scroll aside.

"I really doubt it" she answered as they both dismounted the vehicle.

"To think I got all dressed up to meet your mother and she doesn't even know we're coming, how rude" he said playfully.

"Who're you? You're not supposed to be here" the guard asked stepping toward them.

"We're girl-scouts, anyone looking to buy some cookies" Slade replied rolling his eyes.

"I'm here to see Raven Branwen" Yang answered.

"People don't just get to walk up here and see the boss-"

Slade passed right through the man wrapping his arm around his throat from behind, placing his opposite hand onto the back of his head to keep him steady "You may wish to rethink that policy... just this once" he smirked.

 _How did he-_ Yang's thoughts were interrupted.

"Hey you can't just-" the other guard began reaching for his blade. Yang caught his arm as he struck for Slade, easily snapping his arm with her metal one causing him to scream in pain only for Yang to cover his mouth to muffle the man.

"Looks like your friend didn't understand me when I said you should reconsider. Are we going to have to convince you as well?" Slade asked tightening his grip slightly.

"Y-you don't understand, Raven would kill me if I let you through" he choked out.

"Funny coincidence, I'll kill you if you don't" Slade replied tightening his hold for emphasis.

"I'm her daughter" Yang said walking past him.

"Oh! G-go right on ahead, I'm sure she would be happy to see you" he gasped out hoarsely.

"Doubtful" Slade kicked the back of his knee, slamming his skull into the ground rendering the man unconscious. Slade straightened himself out as he stood before he followed Yang with a smirk adorning his face.

 _I will have to remember to ask Slade about his Semblance later, that was something else. He just passed right through the guy like he wasn't even there_ Yang noted to herself.

They noticed more bandits lining up along the path, giving angry glares at her. Vernal steps out of her tent to see what the commotion is about. The two bandits guarding Weiss Schnee are playing cards with each other, before joining the rest of their tribe to see Yang walk in. Weiss notices this and summons a small Arma Gigas, who begins to get to work on freeing her from her confinement. Yang and Slade arrive at the camp's main tent. Raven emerges from it with her mask on.

"Mom" Yang greeted

Raven removed her mask "Yang" she smiled "So, after all this time you finally decided to visit me"

Yang feels her left hand shaking once again, but she uses her robotic hand to calm it down "You know that I searched for you. I spent years looking for you"

"And you've found me. You were patient, determined, and strong enough to make your dream a reality. Well done, Yang. But did you have to be so rough with my men at the gate?" Raven asked amused.

"Oh were those yours?" Slade asked in a mocking tone.

"I didn't want a fight. They started it" Yang replied.

"Well, you certainly finished it" Raven pointed out, she was met with silence.

"Awkward" Slade whispered to himself.

"Right. I'm sure this is all very overwhelming. But I must admit that you've proven yourself. So any questions you have I'll be happy to answer. You can stay with us tonight. I'll even have the cooks whip up something for you and your friend here" Raven offered.

"That's not why I am here" Yang interjected, causing the bandits to react to Yang's irreverence.

"What was that?" Raven asked slightly annoyed.

"I'm not here for you. Ruby is somewhere in Mistral. She's with Qrow, and she's going to need my help. I just need you to take me to her" Yang explained.

"And why would I do that?" Raven asked curiously.

"Because we're family" Yang answered simply, causing Raven to scowl.

"Family. Only coming around when they need something. I have to say, I'm disappointed. After all, you found me, didn't you? Why not take that drive and use it to find your little sister if she means that much to you?"

"Because you're going to save me time. Ruby was heading to Mistral, but there's no guarantee she's made it there. Looking for her in Anima could take ages. But... Dad told me how your Semblance works"

"Tai..." she sighed underneath her breath.

"You can bond to certain people. And when you do, you could create a portal that takes you straight to them. You've got one for Dad. One for me. And you've got one for Qrow. He promised me he'd watch out for Ruby before he left. And I trust him. So, make a portal to my uncle and sister, and I'll be on my way"

 _Interesting... I was unaware of how her ability worked until now... good to know_ Slade thought crossing his arms over his chest impatiently, struggling to keep his anger in check.

"You know, it takes real strength to march in here and demand such a favor of me. I've got to say, I'm impressed. It's very noble to want to help out your sister. But if she's with Qrow, then she's already a lost cause" Raven replied.

"What does that mean?" Yang asked confused.

"Don't listen to her, Yang. She's just trying to wind you up" Slade warned.

"You don't want to get mixed up in all of that, Yang. Ozpin is not the man you think he is. And Qrow is a fool for trusting him. I would know, I trusted him once, too" she explained.

"I don't care what you think" Yang replied. Vernal, holding Myrtenaster, looks on disdainfully, and places her right hand on her hip.

"Your choice is your own. All I'm suggesting is that instead of getting wrapped up in something too big for you, for any of us, that maybe you take a moment to wonder if you're already where you belong" Raven attempted to convince her.

"Save your breath. You can spout off whatever you want, but nothing is going to keep me from my sister" Yang interjected yet again.

"Well, aren't you stubborn" Raven growled.

"I get it from my mom" Yang replied earning a soft chuckle from Slade.

"Good one"

"Well, if that's how you feel, then it sounds like we're done here. Take her away" Raven ordered her men. The bandits surround and begin to move in on Yang and Slade. They notice this before Yang turns back to Raven.

"Did you not hear me?" Raven turns back around before she can enter her tent "I said send me to Qrow, damn it!" her eyes flare red as she shouts her last statement.

"That's enough! You watch your mouth in front of our leader!" one of the bandits yells, some of the bandits tense up behind him.

"Make me" Yang growled, he tries to attack her, Yang punches the Bandit into a tent, revealing Weiss in her cage

"Yang?" Weiss asked in shock.

"Weiss?" Yang asked matching her tone.

"Delightful, they know each other" Slade sighed as he removed his hand cannon from it's holster.

"Alright, well, subtlety is out" Weiss says to herself. Weiss turns to her miniature Arma Gigas and makes it grow, destroying the cage in the process. She quickly makes her way towards Yang, with the now giant Arma Gigas following close behind.

"What is that?" Yang asked surprised.

"Don't worry about it. What are you doing here? And who's he?" Weiss asked confused.

"Well, that's my mom and she can take us to Ruby" Yang explained gesturing to Raven "Oh, and this is Slade" she said gesturing toward him.

"Yo" he gave a small wave with his free hand.

"Ugh" Raven sighed.

"Your mom kidnapped me?!" Weiss yelled incredulously.

"You kidnapped her?!" Yang yelled at Raven.

"Why are we shouting!?" Slade asked.

Yang, Weiss, Slade and Weiss's summon turn and run to fight the bandits, but a lightning bolt appears, summoned by Vernal, stopping the fight before it starts "Enough!" her voice echoes.

"Thank you" Raven directed to Vernal before turning to everyone else "If you people don't keep it together this place will be crawling with Grimm" she turned back to Vernal "Give the girl her weapon back" Vernal looks surprised at the command, then tosses Myrtenaster to Weiss "You three. In my tent. Now" Raven ordered.

"Why?" Yang asked.

"If you're really going after your sister, then you need to know the truth" Raven enters her tent and the bandits go back to their own businesses. Weiss places her hand on her chest in relief.

"Can I shoot her yet?" Slade asked annoyed at Raven's behavior.

"Sorry about-" Yang began but suddenly, Weiss drops Myrtenaster and strongly hugs Yang.

"I missed you so much" she says struggling to hold her tears in.

"I've missed you, too" Yang returned the hug.

"Well..." Slade sighs "Can I assume this is one of your classmates?"

"Oh, right! You haven't been properly introduced" Yang said releasing her grip on Weiss "This is my teammate from Beacon, Weiss Schnee. Weiss, this is Slade Stroud, he's been helping me track down my Mom" she explained.

"Pleasure to meet you" Weiss smiled at him, extending her hand toward him.

"Likewise" he shook her hand as he holstered his gun yet again.

"So, Slade. You're a Huntsman too?" she asked curiously.

"Not exactly" he answered looking to Yang.

"Bounty Hunter" Yang explained.

"You're friends with a bounty hunter?" Weiss asked confused "How come you never told me about this?" she asked surprised.

"We met yesterday" Slade answered "I doubt you two have had the time between then and now to tell each other much considering the reaction you both had upon seeing one another five minutes ago"

"Oh... well that's true-" Weiss began.

"Sometime today" Raven called from her tent.

"We're coming!" Yang called back "Come on, we don't want to keep her waiting"

"We certainly don't" Slade agreed following behind the two of them.

Vernal pours cups of tea for Raven, Yang, Slade, and Weiss. They are all inside Raven's tent, seated around the table with Vernal standing behind them.

"You can wait outside. Thank you" Raven told Vernal, she quickly does so.

"So, what's the "truth"?" Yang asked.

Raven took a sip from her cup "You know, it's better when it's hot"

"You know, you're really obnoxious" Weiss countered.

"That's an understatement" Slade sighed taking a small sip from his cup.

"The truth is that "truth" is hard to come by. A story of victory for one person is a story of defeat for someone else. By now, your uncle has surely told Ruby and her friends plenty of stories" Raven began.

"Well, he's never given me a reason to doubt him before" Yang pointed out.

"That doesn't mean those reasons don't exist" Raven countered causing Yang to glare at her.

"She's not wrong" Slade agreed reluctantly.

"You know, you and your teammates might as well be the poster children for the Huntsman academies. Your motives vary, but you all enrolled to try and make the world a better place. It's adorable"

"It's what Huntsmen and Huntresses do" Yang replied.

 _Not all of them_ Slade thought to himself.

"Not all of them. Some people are just in it for the money and the fame, but there's even more that are just looking to grow stronger. Your Uncle Qrow and I didn't attend Beacon to become Huntsmen, we did it to learn how to kill Huntsmen" Yang and Weiss gasp at this, exchanging a brief look with each other, Slade looks completely unfazed.

"Daddy and Uncle left that part out, hm?" Raven begins to pour more tea for herself "Aside from the Grimm, Huntsmen were the only ones capable of ruining our raids and hunting us down. Our tribe needed a counterforce" she takes another sip "And Qrow and I were the perfect age" Raven stood up "The entrance exams were child's play compared to what we'd already been through. We were good. So good, that we caught the attention of Beacon's very own headmaster, Professor Ozpin. Even after we were put on a team, I could tell he was keeping his eye on us. Back then, I thought it was because he knew, but it was Team STRQ he was interested in" Raven explained.

"What do you mean by that?" Yang asked skeptically.

"Constant attention, extra training missions, turning a blind eye whenever we happened to break the rules and get into more trouble than we should've. Sound familiar?" Yang and Weiss share another glance at each other, Weiss gestures Yang to keep going. Slade continues to struggle to reel in his anger as she continues to speak, bringing back memories he would rather leave buried.

"What's your point?" Yang asked.

"How much do you know about Professor Ozpin? About his past?"

"He was... a prodigy. One of the youngest headmasters to be appointed to a school" Weiss answered.

 _Bullshit_ Slade growled, drawing Yang's attention for a brief moment before Raven continued.

"Because that's how he planned it. Because the man you know as Ozpin designed those schools and has followers inside every academy on Remnant that are loyal to him and no one else"

"That doesn't make any sense! How could he have...? No. Why would someone even do that?" Yang asked.

"Because old man Oz has a great and terrible secret. One that could spread fear across the world. One that he eventually entrusted to our team, and once I knew, there was no going back. I needed to know more, but with every new discovery I made, the more horrifying the world became"

"Okay, then tell us. What's the big secret? What's so crazy that the rest of us don't know?" Yang asked.

"The Creatures of Grimm... have a master named Salem. She can't be stopped, she can't be reasoned with, and she will not rest until humanity crumbles at her feet" As she speaks, Weiss and Yang's eyes widen more and more. They sit in silence.

"What?" Weiss said in shock.

"You know, you three haven't even touched your tea" Raven pointed out causing Slade to down it in one gulp trying to distract himself. Raven takes notice of this as she takes another sip from her teacup, while Yang stands up.

"Why should we believe any of this?"

"Now you're catching on. So far you've done nothing but accept what others tell you" she puts her cup down "but you need to question everything" The two stare at each other face to face, before Raven turns around.

"Otherwise you'll end up just as blind as Qrow..." Yang grits her teeth, and her eyes narrow, seething "...and your fool of a father"

A shot from Ember Celica is heard, destroying the table. Raven's empty teacup clatters across the floor, stopping when it hits the heel of her boot. Raven looks toward Yang, faintly smiling. Yang's eyes have turned red "Don't you dare talk about my family like that!" While Yang speaks, Weiss stares up at her wide-eyed and flinches when she raises her voice for emphasis.

"You need to calm down" Vernal said holding her weapon on Yang.

"Drop it" Slade growled holding his gun to Vernal's head.

"Yang, please" Weiss pleaded while holding her hand

"Listen to your friend, Yang. Your teammates never let you down before"

"You don't know the first thing about my teammates! About me! You were never there! You LEFT US!" her eyes then turn back to normal "Why?!" Yang hangs her head in sadness"

"I know more than you realize. Not just about you, and not just what I've been told, but things I've seen with my own eyes. I know the Grimm have a leader, I know people who can come back from the dead, I know that magic is real, and I can prove it" Weiss stands up, while Raven continues addressing her daughter.

"You said Tai told you all about my Semblance" Vernal and Slade lower their weapons while Raven heads toward the back exit of her tent "Well, I doubt he ever told you what Oz did to my brother and me" Raven exits her tent. Yang and Weiss exchange confused looks.

"Go see for yourself" Vernal implored before exiting the tent Yang and Weiss take her advice and exit the tent. They see no one there.

"Mom?" Yang asked confused.

"Yang, are you okay?" Weiss asked.

"I'll be fine once we can get her to take us to Ruby" Yang answered. Weiss relents while Yang continues to look around.

"It's okay if... you're not okay"

"You didn't believe what she said, right?"

"I... of course not. Well, not all of it. It was crazy. We have Dust, Semblances... But, I mean, there's no such thing as magic"

"You should" Slade said finally exiting the tent "Every word she said is true... even the parts you didn't want to hear" Just then, the two hear a bird caw. They watch it fly in front of them.

"A raven?" Weiss asked surprised.

"I've... seen that bird before" Yang said noticing it's familiar features.

"Maybe it belongs to your mom?" Weiss offered.

"Not quite" Slade chuckled. The two continue to watch the raven fly in the dusk-colored sky. It descends, flying and weaving between the trees, before shapeshifting into Raven herself. Raven lands back on the ground on her feet, while Yang and Weiss have shocked expressions as she stands back up.

"How... did you do that?" Yang asked confused.

"Well, I could explain it to you..." Raven then draws her sword, slashing behind her, creating a portal with her Semblance "...or you could ask your uncle"

"You're letting us go?" Yang asked.

"I'm giving you a choice" she sheathes her sword "Stay here, with me, and I'll answer all your questions and more. We can have a fresh start" Yang glares at her "Or..." she steps to the side of her portal "you can go back to Qrow and join Ozpin's impossible war against Salem, and meet the same fate as so many others. But can you really go back to trusting someone that's kept so much from you?" Weiss reacts timidly, while Yang just glares at her mother.

"All I care about is making sure my sister is safe"

"Ugh" she groaned dissatisfied with Yang's response.

"Alright, I'm done listening" Slade pointed his gun at Raven causing her to reach for he blade "I have a few questions for you and I want you to answer them"

"And if I refuse?" Raven asked.

"I'm going to start killing everyone in your camp. One... by... one" he answered pacing back and forth.

"Slade-" Yang tried.

"You got what you came here for, now it's my turn" Slade interrupted "Get going, make sure Ruby is safe just like you wanted"

"Is the bounty on my mother's head really that important to you?" Yang asked disappointed.

"The bounty is just a bonus, I'm here for a far more personal reason" Slade answered "I'm giving you the opportunity to leave. I suggest you take it"

"What is it you want to know?" Raven asked pacing to her right, circling each other.

"Six years ago on August 31st, your tribe captured a Huntress, correct?" Slade asked.

"Wrong" Raven answered "I don't capture Huntsmen, I kill them" Suddenly, one of Raven's men came soaring through the tent crying out in fear. Slade stepped aside wrapping his open arm around the man's neck from behind as he stopped dead in front of him, hovering slightly above the ground. Slade pointed the gun to his head.

"Do you want to rethink your answer? You kidnapped Weiss and she's a Huntress" he asked annoyed.

"Slade, how the-" Yang began to ask, confused by what had just happened.

"I didn't know she was a Huntress when I kidnapped her, if I had I would've just killed her on the spot. Too much trouble" Raven answered "I've never captured a Huntress-" Slade pointed the gun at the bandit's leg and fired, causing him to cry out in pain.

"Slade!" Yang yelled in shock.

"Clearly you don't think I'm serious" Slade growled in annoyance. Pressing the barrel into the bandit's head he warned "The next one goes through his skull"

"Fine" Raven sighed "Somebody paid us to capture four specific Huntress and deliver them. Happy?" Raven asked clearly annoyed.

"For now" he answered "Next question: What was the name of the Huntress with red hair and eyes just like mine"

"I don't remember their names especially not someone that specific-" Slade cocked the gun "Elise Stroud" Raven answered quickly

"Good" Slade grinned "Last question..."

"Stroud?" Yang asked aloud in shock.

"Isn't that his last name?" Weiss asked.

"Who were you working for?" Slade asked.

"I don't know" Raven answered.

"You really want to go that route again?" Slade asked getting pissed.

"It's the truth, I don't know who hired us because they all had masks covering their faces and wore identical cloaks."

"Describe them too me"

"One of them was a woman, she sounded rather young probably not much older than you are now but I never saw anything about her other than her eyes as she wore a hood over her face with a small mask like the one you have there, she had Amber eyes. The second had dark slicked back green hair and a reaper mask over his face. The other man had what looked to be blood red eyes instead of white with yellow irises and some type of full face mask like you have covering everything but his eyes. Like I said not a lot to go on, but the woman used a fireball as a threat when I originally turned down her offer" Raven explained in full detail.

 _So they were involved, even back then_ Slade sighed "We're done then" Slade released the man in his grip, holstering his gun.

"Good, you wouldn't want to deal with my men and I if you actually killed him" Raven declared releasing her grip on her blade.

"I have more pressing concerns than fighting off a group of bandits and their sellout of a leader for a measly bounty. Qrow's never going to expect me" Slade chuckled lightly, crossing his arms over his chest in a bored manner.

"I hope you're not planning the same interrogation technique" Weiss sweatdropped.

"Only if he makes it necessary" Slade replied.

"The gun stays holstered this time" Yang warned with a glare.

"I don't need a gun to make people talk, but I promise: I will not attack Qrow in any manner unprovoked" he said holding up his hand as if to swear.

"Good enough for me" Yang smirked "Now... about the name my mother just-"

"Not here" Slade interrupted her "Raven knows enough about me as it is" the was a brief silence between the group with the occasional groan from the man Slade shot "Sorry" Slade offered as the man limped away.

"I guess we should just move on then, right?" Weiss asked.

"That would be for the best" Slade answered.

"Fine" Yang relented reluctantly "We're going to revisit this later" she warned.

"Whatever" he rolled his eyes in annoyance.

Yang and Weiss mounted onto Bumblebee. However, before they can enter the portal, Raven addresses her daughter one more time. "Yang. If you side with your uncle, I may not be as kind the next time we meet..." Weiss rolls her eyes and looks ahead.

"You weren't kind this time either" Yang pointed out. Yang and Weiss proceed through the portal on Bumblebee shortly followed by Slade. The portal then disappears.

"I know..." Raven sighed.

* * *

"Why're things always difficult" Qrow sighed overlooking the city of Mistral "Not one Huntsmen is available to help us, they're all missing... most likely dead" he mused as he took a swig from his flask, he looked down at it in contempt "How could I have been so stupid as to think we had a chance at this" he turned to reenter the house where he and Ruby's friends were currently taking residence.

Suddenly a dark red portal opened to his right just after he opened the door, he sighed in annoyance as the door closed behind him "Now I have to deal with this" he had entered the building without noticing Yang, Weiss and Slade exiting the portal. Qrow turned around to exit but stopped upon hearing Bumblebee's engine rumble but didn't exit the house, instead staying by the door to listen.

"What the hell was that, Slade?" Yang asked annoyed as she dismounted Bumblebee followed shortly by Weiss.

Slade removed his cigar and a lighter from his jacket pocket with a sigh, using it to ignite the cigar in his mouth "You're the one that wanted to work with me, not the other way around. If you don't like my methods then just let me work alone, it's what I'm best at anyway"

 _It can't be_ Qrow thought in shock _how'd Yang get caught up with him?_ He wondered.

"Your methods aren't the problem, keeping secrets from me is the problem" Yang spat.

"You're telling me you've been completely forthcoming about everything? You've never stretched the truth about anything or withheld information you didn't think I needed to know or was too personal to talk about?" Slade asked with a knowing look.

"Guys-"

"Not now, Weiss" Yang and Slade both interrupted her.

"I haven't withheld anything from you" Yang replied crossing her arms "Everything I told you was absolutely true and I promise you I am not hiding anything from you"

Slade stared at her not showing the genuine surprise he was feeling "Whatever" he sighed turning away from her and waving his hand dismissively "I thought you were smarter than that"

"Excuse me?" Yang asked offended.

"If you're dumb enough to trust a total stranger, one you've only known for less than two days I might add, with everything. Then you're just asking for a knife in the back"

"I've been honest with you because it wouldn't help me to lie to you. I guess you just can't appreciate a little honesty!" she shouted angrily.

"Honesty?!" Slade asked twisting around to look her in the eye "Honesty hasn't ever done me any favors. Honesty is the reason..." Slade stopped "You should know by now that I don't care about honesty, I care about currency"

"All you care about is money huh?! Then why ask my Mother about that Huntress? You two are related right?" she asked stepping toward him angrily.

Slade grabbed her by the throat, lifting her above his head in rage "Don't... talk about her" he warned.

"You gonna kill me?" she asked, practically begging him to try it with her tone.

"You're gonna wish you were dead" Slade growled dropping her.

"I thought you were better than this, Slade, but clearly you're just a stuck-up bastard more concerned with money than anyone else!"

"Money has never lied to me before" Slade countered "Money has never taken what I care about away from me" he took a step closer "Money has never tried to kill me" Slade was right in her face now.

"Guys please-" Weiss tried.

"Money doesn't make things complicated or tell me things I couldn't give a rats ass about!"

"Don't talk about my family that way!" Yang yelled back pointing Ember Celica at his chest, Slade held his arms out from his chest expectantly.

"Go ahead..." he waited patiently "You might as well finish the job"

"Finish the job?" Yang asked confused, lowering her weapon and taking a step back in surprise.

"Forget it" he growled turning away from her walking to the nearby fence, leaning against it in annoyance.

"I just want to make sure my sister is safe" Yang said struggling to keep her tears from falling "She's the most important thing in the world to me... you understand that don't you?" she asked hopefully.

Slade stood silently as he contemplated what she had told him "Maybe at some point in my life... but not anymore" he sighed pushing himself back off the fence and turning to look at her "Look... I'm sorry for being so harsh. I just... Raven reopened some old wounds back in her tent and no I don't want to talk about it" he said turning toward the door "Ever"

"Yang?" Weiss looked over to her expectantly.

"Fine... I... accept your apology" Yang sighed "Just don't keep me in the dark on everything anymore alright? Mutual transparency is the best way to-"

"Yeah, yeah whatever. I promise not to hide anything from you that could potentially put you or your family at risk" Slade waved off as he approached the doorway, passing Yang and Weiss "Deal?" he asked looking back toward them over his shoulder.

"Deal" Yang agreed with a small smile.

Good, now if you don't mind-" Slade started opening the door but stopped his statement once he came face to face with her uncle "Qrow" Slade greeted.

"What the... hell!" Qrow reached for Harbinger removing it from his back, Slade easily disarmed him by pushing the blade to his left with his right hand and using his left hand to painfully twist Qrow's grip on the weapon. Reaching for a knife from his belt, Qrow attempted to stab Slade in the chest only for his hand to be caught in Slade's own and twisted to his left side before he pushed his knee against Qrow's forearm, slamming it into the doorway and launching the knife into the ground nearby.

"Slade, stop!" Weiss yelled.

Qrow drew a second knife from behind his back, directing it for Slade. Slade managed to deflect the blade with his gauntlet quickly trading punches with Qrow as they both expertly deflected the other's attacks. Slade twisted around with Qrow's hand in his grip removing the blade from his hand and into his own from over his shoulder, turning around he found himself being pushed against the tree behind him by Qrow and kneeing his wrist, causing Slade to drop the knife.

"Yes, Weiss. Let's just stop defending myself from my attacker because you know him" Slade replied sarcastically "What a brilliant idea, why hadn't I thought of that?"

"Probably because you're so busy being a jackass" Qrow growled.

"Touché" Slade smirked in amusement.

"What're you two doing!?" Yang asked exasperated.

"I take it they aren't friends" Weiss observed.

"I knew they weren't friends by the way Slade talked about him but I didn't think Uncle Qrow was gonna attack him on sight" Yang explained.

Qrow pulled the knife from Slade's belt as he removed his revolver from it's holster, swinging the blade high forced Slade to duck underneath it before grabbing his arm with his free hand. Pointing his gun at Qrow was unsuccessful as he found his arm pinned to the wall by Qrow's free hand.

"You have no idea how long I've been waiting for this" Qrow said eagerly.

"Really?" Slade asked "You've been waiting to kill me? I'd say I'm touched but-" Slade stopped midsentence looking down at his waist upon noticing Qrow's shirt was red on the right side of his abdomen _Reopened wound?_ Slade wondered.

"Oh, no, no, no. I'm not gonna look" Qrow smirked presumably seeing though his trick.

"Unfortunately for you, I wasn't trying to trick you" he smirked back just before releasing Qrow's arm and punching him hard, slamming his fist directly into the reopened wound.

"Augh! Mother F-" Qrow stumbled backward as Slade forced him around into the tree he was previously pinned against.

Slade wrenched the knife from Qrow's hands, causing the blade to embed into the ground behind him as Slade wrestled for control of his own weapon, only to have Qrow manage to take his gun from him.

"Woah, easy, let's talk about this, okay?" Slade asked slowly dropping the bullets from his hand onto the ground to show Qrow it was empty.

"Even as fast as you are, there's no way you could've removed the one from the chamber" Qrow pointed out as he pulled the hammer back.

"Feel free to test that theory" Slade said holding his arms out to his sides waiting patiently for the round to fire into his chest.

"Uncle Qrow, stop!" Yang yelled stepping between them.

"Get out of the way, Yang-"

"Slade isn't here to fight you"

"You're not?" Qrow asked confused, never lowering the weapon.

"No! We're really not!" Weiss practically shouted.

"What is wrong with you, Uncle Qrow?" Yang asked in shock "Why would you attack Slade when he didn't even reach for his weapon?" she asked alarmed by his reaction to Slade's presence.

"Yang... what're you doing traveling with someone like him?" Qrow asked looking past her into Slade's cold eyes.

"We were both looking for Raven" Slade answered "She found me in a bar just a few towns over from here actually, we got into a bit of a brawl with some disgruntled clients of mine-"

"Criminals no doubt" Qrow growled.

"Don't get all high and mighty with me" Slade spat "I put the biggest scum in Remnant behind bars or into the ground where they can't hurt anyone. So what if I have to work with some unsavory types to accomplish that? I don't see you Huntsmen doing a very good job of keeping the streets safe from anything but Grimm... well, you were anyway" Slade rebuked.

"It's not what you're doing I have a problem with, it's who you're doing it with" Qrow countered "Adam Taurus, Cinder Fall, Roman Torchwick. Need I say more?"

"Roman wasn't anything illegal, nor immoral. I got names on crime lords and hitmen and he didn't have to deal with them while he built his own organization. It was a win-win situation. Taurus on the other hand was one job and I refuse to take contracts from the man any longer" he explained.

"And Cinder?" Qrow asked raising an eyebrow at him.

"Cinder and I had a falling out long before I could actually assist her with anything. I can assure you, I have never and don't plan on ever doing business with her again"

"You never did business with her then?" he asked.

"Once, and I terminated the contract before I received payment for a reason" Slade answered "Are we good now?" Slade asked gesturing to the gun.

"Almost, I have one last question"

"Uncle Qrow" Yang groaned.

"What were you doing looking for Raven after all this time?" he asked suspiciously.

"Confirming some information I received some time ago from a not so reliable source" he answered.

Qrow sighed "You wanted to know for sure that Salem was the reason behind Elise's kidnapping" he concluded.

"Not just Salem" he answered "I would've killed Raven had it not been for Yang" Slade sighed "Raven's lucky Yang was there or things would've gone pretty poorly for her and the rest of her tribe"

Qrow lowered the gun while he turned to Yang with a look of shock on his face "Yang did that huh?" he mused to himself "Fine, you and me are good" he flipped the gun around toward Slade "For now"

"For now" Slade agreed accepting his gun back, holstering it quickly then moving to collect his knife.

Qrow opened his arms to embrace Yang "Hey, Firecracker"

"I'm so glad to see you're okay, Uncle Qrow. How're the others doing?" she asked hopefully as they embraced one another.

"Ruby is fine, she's been doing one hell of a job leading them here. Nora and Ren had a rough patch towards the end of the journey but have lightened up since then... Jaune... he's not doing too good" Qrow broke the embrace.

"Pyrrha's death is weighing on him too much isn't it?" Weiss asked knowingly, Qrow nodded his head.

"Jaune is better at hiding it right now, but he's not okay. I don't know if he'll ever be-"

"If he lost someone close to him then you know he will never get over it. You get better at hiding it, better at keeping that false smile on your face for others... but somedays that wall you build up around yourself comes crashing down and you can never build it back up like it was again" Slade solemnly explained looking down at the dirt beneath him.

"You sound like you talk from experience, Slade" Weiss pointed out.

"He does" Qrow sighed "A lot more than most"

"How?" Yang asked curiously.

Qrow looked to Slade finding him shaking his head "That's not for me to say" he answered.

"What about you, Uncle Qrow? You look like you took a beating or two" Yang pointed out.

"Sorry about that by the way" Slade offered.

"I'm fine"he answered "Few days before we arrived in Mistral, Ruby was attacked by a man working for the one responsible for the attack on Beacon"

"Salem" Yang gasped lightly.

Qrow looked over to Slade mildly annoyed "You told them?"

"Her mother did" he answered with a shrug.

"Anyway. Long story short, he was there for Ruby and I stepped in to stop him. Got hurt and ended up being poisoned so I wasn't much help for the rest of the journey. Thankfully we arrived in Mistral in time to get treated before the damage was irreversible" he explained.

"Poison?" Slade asked "Salem sent Tyrian Callows after Ruby? She must be pretty strong" _was she going easy on me when we fought before?_ He wondered to himself.

"Wasn't because she was tough, Slade. Silver eyes" he explained confusing Yang and Weiss.

"That makes much more sense" he chuckled _Guess I was right after all_

"There's plenty more we could talk about. For now, we should head inside and let you guys have your moments" Qrow laughed at Yang's annoyed expression as he led the way into the house.

Inside the house, each of the members of RNJR are helping prepare dinner: Ruby and Ren are cooking at the stove, Jaune is setting up the table, and Nora is cutting carrots, occasionally eating slices.

"Alright, the first batch is just about done" Ren announced.

"Awesome! Now we just need Qrow and we'll be all set" Ruby said excitedly.

Nora while still eating carrots "Do you really think he's gonna bring that many people? This is a lot of food" she asked as she eats another carrot slice.

"Uh, I don't know, but it sounds like we could use all the help we can get" she answered unsure.

"I'm back!" Qrow called from the doorway.

"Be right there!" Ruby called to him.

"You're going to overcook that" Ren warned.

"No I'm not, shut up!" Ruby yelled indignantly.

"Hey, uh, Ruby?" Qrow calls again.

"I'm coming!" she shouts as some smoke comes from the pan Ruby is cooking with "Fine! You take over" Ruby grabs the tea tray and heads to the living room while Ren helps cook the pan.

"So, we didn't know how many people were coming, so we just cooked all of it" Ruby said looking at the tea tray. She looks up, and gasps as she drops the tea tray and its contents, which shatter on the floor. She stares in disbelief at the sight of not only Qrow, but of her older sister Yang and teammate Weiss, Slade went unnoticed as he was behind the group. Yang approaches her little sister.

Ruby's voice began cracking "Yang, I... I'm so sorry! I- I should've stayed, and I should've talked to you more! I'd- I just..." tears start pouring from her eyes "I wasn't sure if you wanted me around and-" Suddenly, her big sister gives her a strong hug. Ruby's lips quiver, and she looks toward her sister.

"I love you" Yang said simply with a smile as tears streamed down Ruby's face. Ruby sobs as she leans into her sister's hug.

"I love you too"

Jaune, Ren and Nora enter the room, smiling at the sight of the two sisters embracing each other. Qrow smiles as well. Oscar Pine enters the room.

"Uh..." He looks up, seeing Ruby and Yang hugging, and smiles. Weiss smiles as she wipes a tear from her eye, before frowning while looking down.

"Weiss" Ruby calls as she and Yang extend their arms toward her, welcoming Weiss into their hug.

Qrow took notice of Slade's somber expression as he looked on at the group, his eyes scanning them as if looking for something.

 _Poor kid, must be thinking about-_ his thoughts were interrupted as he looked over to Oscar _I can't let him know about Oz, Slade might've been able to put his grudge against me behind him for now but I doubt he'd share that sentiment when it comes to Oz_

"Is that who I think it is?" Nora asked noticing Slade.

"Oh, right. I forgot to introduce you guys-" Yang began before being interrupted.

"We've met before, Yang. I told you about the fight we had before taking on that large Grimm possessing everything" Slade informed.

"Oh yeah, they mistook you for the Grimm attacking shipments coming to that town right?" Yang asked.

"That wasn't exactly what happened" Ruby sputtered embarrassingly.

"It isn't?" Nora asked confused "That's exactly how I remember it"

"Yeah well I remember him kicking your butt!" Ruby shot back.

"All of ours actually" Jaune pointed out. They all proceeded to laugh at their own antics.

Slade remained silent, watching them curiously with the smallest smile forming on his face. Slade quickly replaced it with a deep frown.

"Anyway..." Yang laughed "Slade Stroud, this is my sister and leader of Team RWBY Ruby Rose, and our friends from Team JNPR: Jaune Arc, Nora Valkyrie, and Lie Ren" Yang said pointing toward them as she said their names "And this... this is... who is this?" Yang asked gesturing to Oscar.

"Oscar Pine" Qrow answered quickly, hoping to hide Ozpin's presence from Slade for as long as possible.

"Nice to formally meet you all" Slade said showing a small smile, he took notice of the cane in Oscar's hand but chose to ignore it for now "You said you're members of Teams RWBY and JNPR, but there's only six of you instead of eight... may I ask where the missing two are?" Slade asked curiously.

"Blake Belladonna is the missing member of our team and we don't know where she is" Weiss answered easily "And Pyrrha Nikos is the missing member from JNPR... she died when she fought Cinder Fall in the battle for Vale and Beacon" she explained somberly.

"Ah... my apologies for bringing up such a painful memory and my condolences"

"It's alright, you didn't know" Jaune said with a slight sigh.

"What's that!?" Ruby practically screamed when she saw Slade's revolver "Can I see it? What do you call it? Did you make it yourself?" She asked speaking a mile a minute taking Slade by surprise.

"Ruby!" Yang grabbed her sister by her hood, sliding her away from him embarrassed "Sorry about her, she's a gun nut"

"No apology necessary" he chuckled removing it from his holster "Yes, I did make it myself and I call it Defiance" he answered showing it off too her "I am quite fond of it myself"

"That's so cool!" She gazed at it with stars in her eyes.

"It's nothing as advanced as your own weapon, but I like things simple" he added.

"Thanks, I put a lot of work into Crescent Rose" she grinned proudly.

"I can see that" he chuckled.

"Alright, alright. Why don't we get the food together on the table while Oscar and I have a little chat" Qrow offered.

"Good idea" Ren agreed, the group quickly moved the food to the table as Slade stood silently watching them, he turned to leave as they all sat to eat together.

"Slade, where're you going?" Yang asked stopping him in his tracks.

"Outside?" he answered like it was a question "I figured you'd want some time to get reacquainted-"

"Nonsense!" Nora yelled.

"Nora's right, you don't have to leave on our account" Ruby repleid gesturing to the empty space between her and Yang "Come and sit with us. I promise we don't bite"

"Usually" Ren chuckled as Nora glared at him.

"It was one time!" she shouted indignantly.

The group began talking over each other indistinctly as they smiled and laughed together while picking food onto their plates and eating between conversations. Slade timidly took from the plate in front of him while careful not to interrupt anyone else as they took their own. Slade tuned out their conversation for a time as he thought back to his own teammates while he attended Beacon and smiled lightly before he began listening once more.

"How do you lose your map at a time like that?" Yang asked through her laughter.

"Believe me, I've asked myself the same thing ever since" Jaune replied causing the members of RWBY to laugh as he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly giggling.

"Hey, but you made up for it, Mister Muscles! You shoulda seen this guy take a giant Grimm head on!" Nora practically shouted.

"I couldn't have done it without Ruby wearing it down" Jaune offered modestly.

"Uh, me? Did you see Ren during that fight? He was out of control!" Ruby yelled excitedly.

"I'm sorry, I may have lost my temper momentarily" Ren apologized embarrassed.

"No, no! Out of control as in "awesome"!" she assured him.

"Oooooh" he smiled "Thank you"

Everyone at the table bursts into laughter. As dinner continues, Weiss tells her story about how she accidentally summoned a Boarbatusk during the Schnee charity ball.

Ruby gasped "You did not!"

Weiss has her head in her hands "Yeah, right in the middle of the party"

"Please tell me you let that lady have it" Yang laughed.

"Of course not! Even if I did really want to"

Nora crossed her arms skeptically "No way, I don't believe it"

Weiss summons her Boarbatusk right next to Nora. The Grimm summon growls, causing Nora to yelp and fall to her side. Weiss, Yang, Jaune and Ren all laugh. Slade even allowed himself a chuckle as they continued. As dinner nearly finishes, Yang shows off her robotic prosthetic arm to the rest of the group. All of them react in awe.

"It's not a replacement for the real thing, but I'll make sure to make good use of it"

"That's amazing" Jaune offered.

"Incredible" Ren agreed.

Ruby gets all starry-eyed and quickly zooms over to her sister's side to admire her arm. holding Yang's arm up she asked "And it's just as strong?"

"Hm, sure is"

Suddenly, they hear a bang on the table. Nora has her arm out ready to arm wrestle "Wanna bet?"

"Nora, please, now's not the time..." Weiss began.

Despite Weiss' protest, Yang and Nora arm wrestle as Weiss looks on disdainfully, Slade smirked in amusement.

"Don't let her beat you! You can do it! Come on!" Jaune cheered Nora.

"You can do this! Show 'em what Team JNPR's made of!" Ren added.

"C'mon, sis! Aw, you can't lose to a girl in a skirt!" Ruby cheered for her sister.

"You wear a skirt, Ruby" Weiss pointed out.

"Weiss, you're not cheering loud enough!" Ruby shakes Weiss, who is still frowning.

"It definitely feels like the original, I'll give you that!" Nora admitted through gritted teeth.

"Yep. But, it does have some new features!"

"Heh, oh yeah?"

A robotic sound is heard coming from Yang's arm, and suddenly Nora is knocked back to the wall holding Yang's detached arm in her hand. Nora groans in pain while the others look on in concern, except for Yang, who has a smug grin on her face.

"Did she... win?" Jaune asked confused.

As Nora comes to, she realizes she's holding Yang's robotic arm, causing her to scream and throw it away from her. Yang laughs while she catches her arm. Slade fails to suppress a laugh at Yang's trick.

The group moved to the kitchen with the dishes as they finished eating

"Gyah... We ate it all..." he picks up the pot holding all the bowls "Oh, I think I'm gonna be sick..." he groaned.

"Easy there, Vomit Boy, I believe in you" Yang offered with false support.

"Oh, we're doing nickname throwbacks now. Wonderful" he said sarcastically as he walked away with the dishware in his hands as Weiss giggled at him.

"I mean, the Ice Queen seems to like it" Nora pointed out.

Weiss stops giggling, and Ruby bursts into laughter at Nora's remark. Weiss smiles nonetheless.

She rolled her eyes "I so did not miss you people"

Nora gasps "Oh my gosh, she really does like it! What went and warmed your heart while you were gone?" she asked accusingly

"Hey! You make it sound like I used to be terrible" she protested.

"Nah. Just a lot to deal with at once" Yang offered.

"Hmph!"

Yang playfully sticks her tongue out at Weiss.

"It's been a long time. We've all grown in our own ways" Ren concluded.

"You really think so?" Ruby asked.

"Well, think back to when we were all at Beacon, would you say you ever did anything foolish or embarrassing? Or do you think you were perfect?" he asked.

"Oh gosh" Weiss buries her face in her hands again.

"I may have been a little too gung-ho from time to time" Yang admitted.

"Heh, you? I tried to 1v1 a Nevermore on the second day of school" Ruby reminded the group.

Jaune walked back into the room "Yeah, well... don't even get me started"

"Well that embarrassment - that desire to go back and tell yourself not to be so stupid - that just proves you're not the same person you used to be. You're smarter, you're kinder, you're stronger, and you're not done growing yet. None of us are" Ren explained.

There is silence for a brief moment.

"Yeah, turns out Ren gets real deep when he feels like talking" Ruby pointed out causing everyone to laugh.

"Well, hold on, I thought I was pretty great in school! Nora proudly proclaimed.

"Even at the dance? When you spilled punch all over yourself in front of-" Yang began before being interrupted.

"Yes, especially the dance! Thank you, Yang!" Yang covers her ears from Nora's yelling, who has her scroll out playing "Shine" as Ruby laughs.

"How can six kids possibly make so much noise eating dinner?" Qrow asked from behind them with his arms crossed over his chest as Oscar approached beside him. Nora pressed the button on her scroll to make the music stop playing, Oscar gave a small laugh.

"They're a colorful bunch" Slade laughed "I haven't been around a more diverse group since I started my career"

"Did you attend Beacon as well?" Oscar asked curiously.

"He's not a Huntsman, he's a Bounty Hunter" Yang answered.

"Oh, I'm sorry you just seem the type-"

"No apology necessary, Mr. Pine. You're partially right anyway, I did attend Beacon, I just never graduated... much like the other Huntresses and Huntsmen in this room" he chuckled.

"What about your team?" Ruby asked confused "If you never graduated did they end up graduating or not?"

"Ruby-" Qrow tried but was too late.

Slade sighed deeply "My teammates... they... we..." he stopped looking away somberly "I'd prefer if we didn't talk about it"

"Oh" Ruby looked down in shame "Sorry-"

"It's fine, Ruby... I... I need a drink" he groaned turning for the door.

"Where're you going?" Qrow asked.

"Bar" Slade answered "I plan on getting as drunk as I can before sundown" he called back before exiting the house as quickly as he could.

"Slade-" the door slammed shut, leaving Yang standing there in bewilderment "What just happened?"

"Slade was forced to think about something very painful for him" Qrow answered "Much like myself, he is attempting to drink the memories away"

"Does it work?" Jaune asked.

"For a couple of hours it does" Qrow answered honestly "Long term effects are practically nonexistent when it comes to that though" he sighed.

"What did happen to Slade that made him like that?" Yang asked "All he seems to care about is money"

"There was a time when Slade cared about much more than making money" Qrow said "Before I tell you anything more you must give me your word you wont utter anything to him about this, especially not about Ozpin to him... anything at all" Qrow insisted.

The group shared a look of confusion between them "Why? What'd Ozpin do to Slade?" Ruby asked curiously looking over at Oscar, his eyes glistened for a moment before he wore a somber expression.

"I took everything from him" Ozpin answered shocking Yang and Weiss.

"How is Ozpin talking through Oscar?" Yang asked concerned.

"I thought you were dead!" Weiss exclaimed.

"Oscar and I share a body, Ms. Xiao Long. Also, I did die, Ms. Schnee"

"Oh well that just clears up everything" Weiss rolled her eyes sarcastically.

"Oz reincarnates into other people when he dies. It's his curse that was placed upon him until he stops Salem" Qrow explained.

"Wow... that must be pretty weird" Yang pointed out.

"Indeed" Ozpin chuckled before his expression soured "I told you before, Ruby. I've made more mistakes than any man, woman, and child on this planet... when it came to Slade I just couldn't seem to stop making those mistakes" he sighed.

"Is that why he hates you and Qrow?" Yang asked.

"Partially" Qrow answered.

"Mr. Stroud despises Qrow for something I urged him to do... his hatred for me goes much deeper than that, and rightfully so" Ozpin explained "Qrow and I will explain more about everything, especially Slade's past. If you don't understand Slade, you'll never be safe around him. Saying the wrong thing could earn you a bullet for your trouble" he explained.

"I noticed that when he changed his attitude dramatically as soon as Mom brought up you and Salem. Even the mention of Qrow ticked him off more than I'd have thought" Yang pointed out.

"Slade's hatred for Qrow and I is mostly well founded if a bit misguided" Ozpin replied "Now I'm sure Raven told you two a lot but possibly not everything. Perhaps not even the truth" he continued referring to Yang and Weiss.

"Allow me, Oz" Qrow offered "You can explain everything about Salem, you, the relics, and the Maidens all you want... But when it comes to Slade allow me to explain to them how he came to be the way that he is"

"Fair enough" Ozpin relented "You do know Slade far better than I do anyway"

"Any questions you may have, please save them until I am done explaining. We shouldn't take too long or Slade might interrupt us" Qrow asked, he took out his flask and looked it over solemnly "Rumors had been going around about a woman in a hood taking up residence in a cave somewhere out in the woods not far outside the city of Vale... Slade and his family lived out there as well... we requested his parents, Sinn and Viridian Stroud to check it out..."

* * *

 **That's all for Chapter Three! Hope you all liked it, and thank you for taking the time to read it. Chapter Four is coming soon!**


	4. Cursed

**Chapter Four is finally finished! Sorry I didn't update sooner, I am just getting over a very unwelcome virus going around at work. I'm hoping to have the next chapter out sooner since I am no longer bedridden. Thank you for all your feedback on the story so far, I will be keeping all of it in mind going forward with each new chapter I write. Now, without further ado, enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing!**

"Speech"

 _Thoughts_

* * *

 **Chapter Four: Cursed**

 **(Seven Years ago)**

Ozpin sat in his office waiting patiently as the elevator came up to his floor, Qrow stood beside him with his arms crossed over his chest in boredom. The door opened to reveal Glynda leading Viridian and Sinn Stroud out of the elevator with their fourteen year old son in tow, he looked around in awe of the office he stood in. Ozpin smiled at the boy's expression _Such a bright soul... I'm unusually excited for him to attend my school. Perhaps he'll become even greater than Elise has proven herself to be_ he thought to himself, causing his smile to grow.

"The Strouds as you requested" Glynda said with a slight nod to Qrow in greeting, he returned it in kind.

"Thank you, Glynda. Viridian, Sinn, it's good to see you're both doing well" Ozpin greeted.

"We do our best" Sinn replied.

"I can only imagine" Qrow sighed thinking back to the loss of their son.

"Malachite wouldn't want us to sulk forever over him" Viridian said with a small smile "Slade here taught us that well enough"

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you, young man. I've heard great things about you" Ozpin said smiling toward the boy.

"T-thank you, sir. It's a honor to meet you as well" he stuttered back in surprise at being addressed.

"Elise talks about you all the time you know, she's so proud of you and the progress you've made"

"I'm proud of her as well, I care for her a great deal" Slade replied.

"I can tell, she's been begging me to allow you to visit her here since she started. It's unfortunate she's unavailable at the moment, considering the mission she's on with her team"

"That's alright, there's always next time" Slade said politely.

"Was the something specific you wanted to speak to us about?" Sinn asked curiously "You don't call for us unless it's important"

"Quite right" Ozpin agreed "Glynda would you please see the young Mr. Stroud down to-"

"That will not be necessary" Sinn waved him off "Our son is going to be a Huntsmen someday and he needn't be kept out of meetings such as these"

"You're kidding right?" Qrow asked surprised.

"He never jokes" Viridian laughed.

Glynda looked to Ozpin uncertain of what she should do, he waved his hand lightly, signaling for her to allow him "Very well... I've received reports from Huntsmen in the field about strange disappearances around a town to the northeast called Foxworth. I sent a team to investigate a week ago and lost contact just after they arrived" Ozpin explained.

"Do you have any idea what's causing the disappearances?" Viri asked.

"Unfortunately no. I do however know the only people disappearing are Huntsmen" Ozpin answered "Something is abducting or killing Huntsmen and I want to know why. I sent a team to investigate not long ago but haven't heard back from them since they arrived in town"

"And now you're sending us" Sinn concluded "Something strong enough to overpower a team of seasoned Huntsmen must be pretty dangerous"

"That's why I'll be coming with you" Qrow announced "My Semblance could be of some use against something that strong, I urge you to be cautious as I cannot control who it affects"

"Understood" Viri nodded "Slade will be coming with us as well" she announced shocking Ozpin and Glynda, Qrow sighed in disappointment, already knowing why she would make such a decision.

"Are you sure that's wise?" Glynda asked.

"Something that can overpower Huntsmen is no place for a child with little training and no real combat experience" Ozpin agreed.

"Slade has more than enough combat experience to see him through something like this, trust me. I've seen him take on a whole pack of Beowolves with an empty gun for a weapon, he bludgeoned them to death since he had no other options" she bragged proudly.

"As impressive as that may be, that doesn't prepare him for something like this. We don't even know what it is-"

"The last time we left our son for a mission, Malachite died. I refuse to leave him by himself again" Viri explained.

"Taking him into a hostile environment to keep him safe is insane" Qrow replied.

"Seems just as dangerous as leaving him at home" Sinn countered "Whether you like it or not, our decision is already made"

 _They're so terrified of losing their Son they can't even see how dangerous this will be for him_ Qrow shook his head.

"Please reconsider-" Glynda tried before Qrow interrupted her.

"Seems your mind has been made up" he sighed "If that's the case I recommend we bring Glynda along" he offered.

"Agreed" Ozpin smiled "She can focus on keeping Slade safe so you can focus on the task at hand, while also gauging his combat capability. After all he does wish to attend Beacon like Elise doesn't he?" Ozpin asked with a knowing look.

"Then we're agreed" Viri smirked.

"It seems that way" Glynda sighed "Give me some time to prepare before we leave. I will be with you shortly" Glynda walked toward the elevator followed by the Strouds.

"It was nice meeting you Professor" Slade waved as he entered the elevator.

"The pleasure was all mine Mr. Stroud" he said back just before the door closed, sending them on their way.

 _I sure hope I didn't just send them all to their deaths_ Ozpin sighed solemnly.

"Taking the kid on this mission is suicide" Qrow pointed out.

"I know" Ozpin sighed once more "He is however much stronger than many of our students here at Beacon"

"I've seen him in action" Qrow smirked "Some of the older students at Signal tried to pressure him into doing something he shouldn't with the mindset that he could convince his way out of it since he just lost his brother. In response he kicked their asses without hardly even breaking a sweat"

"Slade's made incredible strides since his parents began officially training him themselves. His Semblance has yet to be discovered but that's not entirely uncommon for those in his family. Elise only recently discovered her own and Viridian and Sinn both didn't find their Semblance until just before their graduation"

"Malachite was the only one to find his early on in life... it's unfortunate that he never made it to Beacon in the end"

"He would've made a fantastic Huntsman" Ozpin agreed "You and Glynda both need to keep him safe"

"We will"

"I know..." Ozpin sat up straight as he looked Qrow in the eyes "I'm concerned about what you'll find out there"

"As am I"

"Salem could be behind the disappearances"

"Yeah, and we both know what she'd be after if that were the case"

"The Maidens" Ozpin cursed lightly under his breath "You don't think she's gathering Huntresses to try and find one do you?"

"There's one in each kingdom, Oz. It's not that unlikely to think she wants just one Maiden for their powers"

"I'm aware of the implications, Qrow"

"Let's hope it's something far less sinister" Qrow sighed.

"Like our team decided they deserved a vacation or something?" Ozpin asked in jest.

"Or they put themselves in an alcohol induced coma when they found out there was nothing to investigate" he chuckled.

"Be careful"

"We will be" Qrow assured with a determined nod.

* * *

"This town, Foxworth. What can you tell me about it?" Sinn asked Glynda as the Bullhead soared over the forest below.

"It's a rather unremarkable town with nothing setting it apart from the other towns around the city of Vale" Glynda explained "Before the disappearances that is"

"Last report we got from the team Oz sent spoke of a bunker just east of the town" Qrow explained.

"Sounds like the perfect place to start looking" Viridian pointed out.

"What about the town? Shouldn't we check there and find out if anyone knows anything about the disappearances?" Slade asked, surprising Qrow and Glynda.

"He's right, we should speak to the residents and see what they know" Sinn agreed.

"You and I can handle that" Qrow pointed out "Glynda and Viridian can scout out this bunker for anything unusual in the area, nobody goes inside until we've regrouped" he added.

"Sounds like a plan. Slade, stick by your mother and don't do anything without express permission" Sinn ordered

"Yes, Father"

"We're coming up on the bunker. drop us here!" Viridian yelled to the pilot. The Bullhead hovered just above the tree line opening the side door for them to exit "Remember what I taught you, Slade"

"I know, Mother. Landing strategy" he smiled up at her before dropping out of the Bullhead, his mother shook her head with a smirk.

"He's your son alright" Sinn laughed.

Slade used the blade coming out of his right gauntlet embedding it into the branch of a tree as he fell swinging himself off of it toward the ground rolling into the landing as he did "Nailed it" he said standing up with a smile.

"Impressive work" Glynda said gracefully landing behind him.

"Thanks, Mother is a good teacher"

"Damn right" his mother laughed dropping from the tree's above them "You'd be lost without me now that Elise is always away at school or on missions-" she stopped suddenly unsheathing her blade ready to strike, Glynda got into a combat stance following this as she felt the Grimm's presence as well. Slade removed his gun from it's holster, leaping back to them as he awaited the Grimm to attack. The bushes parted as a particularly large Ursa came charging toward them, Glynda and Viridian both leapt over the beast as it came crashing toward them.

"Slade!" Viridian yelled noticing him charging the creature.

The Ursa leapt toward Slade with it's mouth open, ready to sink it's teeth into him. Slade dropped onto his side as it leapt, sliding beneath it and pointing his revolver at the Ursa's face firing once and coming back up to a standing position as he twirled the gun in his hand back into it's holster. The beast's corpse slammed into the ground.

"I'm assuming that's not the thing abducting Huntsmen" Slade joked "Either that or I have a serious problem with the current training regiment at Beacon"

"Most assuredly not" Glynda replied "You certainly took that one down easily though, most first years struggle against Ursa their first time due to their size"

"Guess I'm not most first years" he shrugged.

"Please don't scare me like that again, Slade. I'm already worried enough having you here as it is"

"Then why did you bring me?" Slade asked cocking an eyebrow questioningly.

"Because at least here I know I can oversee everything you're doing" she answered.

"Let's get moving, we need to finish scouting the area before Qrow and Sinn finish in Foxworth" Glynda pointed out.

"Agreed, we wouldn't want them to have to wait on us"

* * *

 **(Several Hours Later)**

Qrow called Glynda on her scroll as they just finished scouting the area around the bunker, clearing out any Grimm wandering through.

"How'd it go Branwen?" she asked answering the call.

"Not so well, the residents here obviously know about the abductions but they're too scared to talk about them. Bartender said we should leave town before she gets us too" he reported "Sinn and I are on our way to you now, from the sound of it there's a woman behind the abductions that's intimidated the town into silence"

"I suppose we'll find out once we enter this bunker and see what's being hidden here" Viridian sighed.

"What's your ETA?" Glynda asked.

"Two minutes out. Bullhead dropped us south of your position " Qrow answered.

"We're on the north side of the entrance"

"Understood" Qrow hung up.

"Okay, once Qrow and Sinn get here we can head inside the-" Viridian began before being interrupted.

"Mom!" Slade called quietly "Someone's entering the bunker"

"What?" Glynda asked as they both approached to see the person in question. They watched as a hooded figure approached the entrance, nonchalantly pushing the door open with one hand.

"I can't see his face" Viri groaned.

"It's a woman" Slade corrected.

"He's right" Glynda agreed "She's got too small of a frame to be a man, and she has a very feminine style of walking"

"Some guys walk very femininely" Viri pointed out.

"Not with that figure they don't"

"Nail polish on her fingers and she's wearing heels" Slade pointed with his hand "Either a woman or a very strange man"

"Very astute. Looks like we've got ourselves a possible culprit" Qrow announced, alerting the group to his and Sinn's presence.

"What's the plan?" Viridian asked.

"We follow her in and find out what's going on down there, once we've gotten a good look we decide our plan of action" Qrow explained.

"What have you come up with so far?" Glynda asked curiously.

"I believe we have three possibilities waiting for us in there. Firstly: There could be imprisoned Huntsmen down there for us to rescue, in which case we'll need to evacuate the facility. Secondly: There could be a lot of dead Huntsmen being fed to something or just outright killed for some ulterior motive, if that's the case we'll just blow the place, collapsing the facility upon itself. Thirdly: It's possible it's none of those options and we need to investigate further than the surface level"

"You've put a lot of thought into this" Slade said with a small smirk "All of those options sound like fun to me"

"I've had a lot of time to plan out our options"

"Well we should get to it then" Viridian said just before leaping out from the trees to follow the path into the bunker.

"Always on the move" Sinn sighed following after her.

"Stay close, Kid" Qrow called back to Slade following with Glynda close behind.

"Make sure nothing sneaks up on us from behind" she ordered, fully expecting to be handling this task herself despite her words.

"Understood" Slade complied following the group inside.

Once inside they found a small empty room with nothing but a large hole in the center, looking around the room they found nothing else of interest to their mission.

"There's nothing here but a massive hole in the ground" Sinn sighed.

"What do you think is down there?" Qrow asked crouching down to look inside.

"Let's find out!" Viridian yelled sprinting toward the hole from behind them and leaping inside.

"I hate it when she does that" Qrow sighed "C'mon, let's not leave her to whoever is in charge of this place. Whatever is down there probably isn't friendly"

The group quickly follows behind her falling down onto a metal slope leading down into the facility, as they slid down they came across some sort of growth looking to be made completely of pure shadow coming out from the walls.

"What in the world?" Glynda looked perplexed by the growth as she continued to slide until reaching the end and dropping onto her feet to find a massive corridor completely covered in these shadow growths, seemingly coming from everywhere.

"What the hell are these things?" Sinn asked.

"They look like something out of a nightmare" Slade pointed out.

Qrow pulled out a small flashlight and directed it at the growth, it quickly retreated from the light before lashing out and destroying the light in his hand. Qrow leapt back, removing Harbinger from his back "It's alive" he sighed in annoyance "Don't get too close to it and don't shine a light on it"

"It's almost as if it's made completely out of darkness" Glynda said as she curiously studied it from a safe distance.

"There's only one thing that can manipulate darkness like that... but it can't be-" Sinn began.

"We never should've come down here, we need to get out" Viridian said with fear clearly showing in her eyes.

"Mom?" Slade asked perturbed by her condition, not used to seeing his fearless mother filled with terror.

"Ozpin needs to know about this-" Glynda began

"Come closer" a voice whispered so low it was almost inaudible.

"Did anyone else hear that?" Sinn asked raising his shotgun to attack.

"I was really hoping I was going crazy" Qrow replied removing his scroll from his pocket and calling Ozpin.

"No... come closer..." the voice whispered again.

 _I really wish I didn't know what that was_ Qrow thought to himself.

"It can hear us" the voice said almost surprised.

"Qrow what's-" Ozpin began before he was quickly interrupted.

"Get out!" it whispered.

"Oz, I need you to shut up and listen" the group sat silently as they waited for the voice to return.

"Stay away" the whisper came more urgently.

"Tell me that isn't what I think it is" Ozpin said standing from his desk in shock.

"Just take a look around" Qrow replied showing the room to Ozpin.

"Dear lord" Ozpin gasped in shock "You need to get out of there, you cannot do anything-"

"AAAAAAAAUUUUUUGGGGGGHHHHH!" roared an angry voice in anguish.

"It hasn't been summoned yet" Qrow said aloud.

"Who?" Slade asked not understanding.

"They're not finished with the ritual! Stop them!" Ozpin yelled his voice gripped with fear.

"I don't think we have a choice" Sinn pointed out looking at the hole they came through having become completely covered in the shadowed growth.

"Quickly! Before she finishes the ritual!" Ozpin begged "If you don't stop her we're all dead"

"Then let's get to work" Viridian unsheathed her blade ready for battle.

"Lock and load, this is gonna get ugly" Sinn said pumping his shotgun.

"I'm always ready for ugly" Qrow replied chugging down his flask.

"You certainly are" Glynda scoffed.

"I don't know what's going on but we better hurry and stop whatever it is" Slade said removing his gun from it's holster with a single flip through his fingers.

The group rushed through the large long corridor until they came to a massive mechanical door sealed tight where the shadowed growths were the thickest.

"How're we supposed to get this open?" Sinn asked.

"Like this" Glynda said before using her Semblance to force the door open.

"Excellent work, Goodwitch. Glad to have you with us for once" Sinn laughed.

"Shut up" Glynda growled in annoyance.

"There she is!" Qrow said pointing his blade to the hooded figure from before "Stop right there-"

"AAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGHHHHHH!" screamed the voice so loud everyone was forced to cover their ears in pain, the hooded figure quickly rushed past them toward the corridor.

"Stop!" Slade yelled chasing after her with Qrow shortly behind him.

"Leave her!" Ozpin yelled as a massive purple crystal with a shadowed figure inside it looking back at them with bright red eyes, shot out from what appeared to be the source of the shadowed growths surrounding the room, almost like a lake of shadow "Destroy that crystal!"

"You heard the man!" Sinn yelled.

"That crystal is using the souls of dead Huntsmen to fuel a summoning ritual!" Ozpin explained "Destroy it and you stop the ritual"

"How're we supposed to destroy that thing?" Glynda asked.

"With this!" Viridian yelled leaping toward the crystal with a massive arc of white light emanated from her blade slicing right through the crystal, a loud screech could be heard throughout the facility just before the crystal exploded, sending shards of it in several different directions.

"Everyone with me!" Sinn yelled slamming his fist into the ground, erupting a metal shield around them using the metal from the ground. The shield dropped to reveal the crystal had been completely destroyed and the lake of shadow stopped flowing and became stagnant.

"That's not creepy at all" Slade joked.

"Getting rid of this stuff isn't going to be easy" Qrow sighed.

"Good thing we have all of these explosives I brought along" Sinn pointed out "I've got enough in here to level this place a hundred times over"

"He's not joking" Viridian deadpanned.

"Is there anything left of the crystal?" Ozpin asked from the scroll.

"The shards are empty" Glynda answered using her Semblance to call all the shards to her, studying them curiously.

"No matter, bring them to me-" loud static began crackling through the device "-and we will destroy..." his voice cut off "Qrow?" his static voice called "I'm losing you" the last word crackled "Qrow can you hea…" the signal was lost.

"Oz?" Qrow asked "Oz are you there?" he asked before sighing "Shit"

"I think we've lost him" Sinn said slinging his shotgun over his shoulder.

"No... something's blocking our signal" Viridian concluded looking at her own scroll "How would we have had a signal all throughout that and then suddenly lose it otherwise?" she asked rhetorically.

Suddenly a massive shadowed image of a woman appeared before them where the crystal previously resided "INFECTION!" the voice matching the angry roar from earlier boomed with hatred "YOUR LIFE ENDS HERE!" it screamed as the very walls came alive and attacked the group.

"Move back!" Qrow yelled slicing through the tendrils racing toward them. The rest of the group rushed for the door exiting into the corridor only to find their path blocked "We're cut off!" Sinn yelled.

"SURRENDER YOUR LIFE TO ME!" the voice boomed as her visage disappeared.

"I've got an idea!" Slade yelled.

"Shoot!" Sinn yelled turning to fire his shotgun at the tendrils racing toward them, they retreated momentarily from each shot and strike made by the group.

"Your explosives on a timer?" he asked.

"Detonator" Viridian yelled back holding it up to show.

"Drop the bombs in the center of the room and seal the door between us and it then blow it while we're safely out here.

"What good will that do?" Glynda asked not understanding.

"The image was shown above the lake in the center of the room, and that's where the darkness seems to be seeping out of. Blow that and no more darkness" he explained.

"It's as good a plan as any" Qrow offered "Let's do it!" he turned to find several more tendril's attacking them from behind, only to have Slade easily cut through them with the blades on his gauntlets. Slade used his revolver to fight off the ones his blades couldn't keep up with "Sinn and Viri plant the bombs while Glynda and I provide cover, Slade keep us covered from back here" Qrow ordered.

"On it!" Slade yelled turning to continue fighting off the dark shadows. Sinn and Viridian raced into the room with Glynda and Qrow following behind them.

"Viri!" Sinn yelled throwing her his bag of explosives as he turned to fight off several tendrils with his Semblance, Qrow and Glynda protected her as she raced to the center of the room, throwing it into the center of the lake.

"Explosives placed!" she yelled before being knocked over by a large tendril of darkness.

"Viri!" Qrow yelled rushing toward her.

"Go! Make sure Slade is safe! I'll be right behind you!" she yelled to him as she picked herself up, Qrow and Glynda reluctantly did as they were told and raced toward the exit to find Slade easily defeating the tendrils attacking him with his gauntlet blades, nevertheless they assisted him in destroying the remaining few.

Suddenly, the corpses of Huntsmen and Huntresses possessed by darkness dropped from the mass of darkness above them. Viridian rolled out of the way of them as they dropped onto her previous position and rushed toward the door "Sinn, it's time to go!" she yelled holding her abdomen in pain as she leaned against the doorway with the button to seal the door, she looked out to see Slade standing triumphantly with Qrow and Glynda at the blockage.

"I'm coming-" Sinn was interrupted by being impaled on the edge of a tendril.

"Sinn!" she yelled in shock.

"Go!" he choked out "I'm not gonna make it!" he was slowly pulled back toward the lake of darkness. Viridian held the detonator close as she pulled out a locket with a picture of their family inside of it, she smiled lightly at the picture as a single tear fell from her left eye.

"I'm not leaving you" she whispered "I'm sorry... Slade... forgive us" she stood up straight and pressed the button next to the door as Slade turned to see the door shutting.

"Mom?" Slade asked causing Qrow and Glynda to turn in surprise at finding the door closing with her still inside, Viridian shook her head and held up the detonator with tears streaming down her face. Slade rushed toward the door as it continued to close "Mom!" he yelled just before it sealed shut and she armed the detonator, a fiery explosion tore through the room toward her as the door finished sealing shut just as Slade slammed into it with his full body weight "NO!" he yelled with tears in his eyes as he angrily slammed his fist into the door, sliding down to his knees weakly "No..."

"Look" Glynda pointed to the shadows quickly receding back to the sealed door until they disappeared completely from sight "Slade was right, it worked"

"But at what cost" Qrow sighed walking over to Slade and placing his hand onto his shoulder "I'm sorry, kid... I wish I could've stopped this from happening... all of it. You've already been through so much-"

"How could they die?" Slade asked looking up at him "Heroes aren't supposed to die, Qrow. They're supposed to win and survive... so why?" he asked again.

"Unfortunately heroes die more often than not, and not always in the way we imagined" Qrow lowered himself to Slade's level "Survival is not always a victory... sometimes the hardest part is placed upon those who survive"

"I... I..." he remained silent for a moment "What am I gonna tell Elise?" Slade asked choking back his tears.

"I don't know, kid... I don't know..."

"Hmm..." a voice from behind them snapped them back to reality "I understand now" it chuckled as they turned to look at the shadowed face from before staring back at them.

"You!" Qrow yelled stepping between Slade and her.

"You're the one who stopped my ritual" her face moved closer passing right through Qrow "Hmm... I can work with this" she grinned.

"W-work with what?" Slade asked.

"You'll know... in time" she answered "Enjoy your victory, Branwen. Savor it while you still can" she added as she vanished.

"Who was that?" Slade asked.

"You'll have to ask Ozpin, kid. It's not my place to say"

* * *

Ozpin sat in his office waiting patiently for Qrow to arrive in the elevator, he tapped his fingers against his desk in anticipation as the doors opened.

"Qrow" he greeted.

"Oz"

"How'd it go?"

"Elise and Slade had their moment of grief, I think she's handling it better than he is right now. That's the second mission he's gone on and lost a loved one"

"It's unfortunate, but it happens to all of us eventually"

"Slade's beginning to question if he's cursed"

"Cursed?"

"Slade thinks his brother and parents both died because he was there when it was actually the opposite. Without Slade, none of us would've made it back today... and according to Elise, she wouldn't be here if it wasn't for him two years ago"

"I'll talk to him, hopefully I can cheer him up a bit"

"Please do, I don't know what else I can do for the kid"

"Elise will be taking care of him for the time being, she's been given some time off and her school duties will be handled as needed given her situation now-"

"If Elise needs someone to take care of him while she's at school just let me know, Tai and Yang can handle taking care of Ruby while I am taking care of him until she graduates"

"Elise would be grateful I'm sure, and I know Slade will at least be comfortable around you... talk to her about it first before we make a decision"

"Understood" Qrow never moved from his position.

"What is it, Qrow?"

"Are you still planning on telling Elise about the Maidens?"

"I am still planning on offering her the opportunity to become a Maiden, yes" he answered "I will not force her to make this decision but I will provide the means"

"You know Slade will never see her again if you do this-"

"I will not be taking Elise from Slade afterward no matter what her decision is... that boy has been through enough without me adding to it"

"I'm concerned about that hooded figure we found in the facility"

"She got away while you were stopping the summoning ritual, correct?"

"Yeah, she also matched Elise's description of the hooded figure that escaped from her two years ago the day her brother died. Thanks to that information they obtained we were able to stop the attack planned on the town before it even began"

"I remember" Ozpin sighed "I'm concerned about her as well... we still don't have the faintest idea as to her identity. We know it's not Salem because that's who appeared to you in the facility"

"Thankfully we were able to put a stop to her ritual"

"Indeed, unfortunately we haven't stopped her permanently but we have greatly set back her plans"

"Slade certainly doesn't need to be part of this war with Salem, he's been through enough"

"That decision will be left up to him, once he has been properly trained here at Beacon should he accept our invitation next year-"

"Next year?" Qrow asked surprised "He's only going to be fifteen"

"I know, he'll be the youngest attendant at this school. I will allow him to remain a Huntsmen outside from my inner circle as to not know anything about Salem and the truth about me if he does not wish to become a part of our war"

"Slade's already seen Salem today, he's not an idiot. Eventually he'll figure it out"

"We'll cross that bridge when we get there. For now we shall allow Elise and Slade to grieve over the loss of their parents before anything else" Qrow stood silently, staring at Ozpin as he searched for the right words "Was there something else, Qrow?"

"After Viridian and Sinn were killed in the explosion, Salem appeared to us outside the room they died in" Qrow answered.

Ozpin's eyes shot open in shock "What? How? Did she do anything?" he asked perplexed.

"She didn't do anything specific, however she did address Slade. She said "she could work with this" before she disappeared with the most unsettling smile on her face. Slade asked what she meant and she answered he would find out in time... I'm concerned Slade will never have the choice you want him to have"

"You believe I should be straight forward with him and tell him everything?" Ozpin asked.

"Not everything, not yet. Slade's too young to fully understand everything but you could at least prepare him for whatever Salem sends his way. From the sound pf it, she's not done with him yet"

"Agreed" Ozpin sighed "I will inform Slade of Salem and what she's capable of doing once he accepts my invitation to attend Beacon. If he declines then I will tell him enough to defend himself but not tell him everything"

"Understood" Qrow nodded in agreement "In the meantime, I'm going to keep an eye on the kid"

"I understand" Ozpin nodded with a small smile.

"Thanks, Oz"

* * *

 **That's all folks! Yes, these next few chapters are going to be set in the past. I figured the best way to explain why Slade is the way he is, is with flashbacks! Well, whatever telling an entire chapter of a flashback is called anyway... prequal chapters? Whatever, you all get the point by now. Stay tuned for new chapters coming soon!**


	5. Abduction

**The not so long awaited chapter five! Don't have much to say this time around really, I've never been much good at small talk anyway. Hope you guys like it.**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing!**

"Speech"

 _Thoughts_

* * *

 **Chapter Five: Abduction**

 **(Six Years Ago)**

Ozpin sat quietly in his office, staring at his scroll impatiently "C'mon Elise... you were supposed to check in days ago" he placed the device down onto the desk as the elevator opened revealing Glynda and Slade "Please come in" he waved them in with a small smile "It's good to see you again, how've your lessons with Qrow been going?"

"Professor Branwen has been a fantastic teacher when he finds time away from his nieces" Slade answered crossing his arms over his chest.

 _Qrow wasn't kidding when he said he's become detached since his parents passing_

"That's good to hear"

"Is there a reason you called me here, Professor?" Slade asked raising his eyebrow curiously.

"Yes I called you here to present you an opportunity" Ozpin answered promptly "I would like to extend to you an invitation to attend this very school at the start of the next year"

"Truly?" Slade asked surprised.

"Of course. You've been proving yourself, time and time again with your accomplishments and merits seen personally by Qrow and Glynda"

"We never would've survived our mission to Foxworth without your aid" Glynda agreed.

"Despite our losses" Slade said never shifting his gaze from Ozpin.

"Indeed, Viridian and Sinn's sacrifice will never be forgotten"

"If I were to accept your offer, I would have only two months to prepare, correct?"

"Correct, you will have-" Ozpin stopped upon hearing his scroll notify him of a message from Elise "Apologies I have to take this" he picked up his scroll and quickly read the message "Raven bandits captured" he sighed in disappointment.

"What is it Professor?" Glynda asked concerned.

"It's our friend"

"Elise" Slade deduced.

"How'd you-" Ozpin began to ask.

"She was supposed to be back from her mission days ago, she told me she would be back by yesterday at the latest. Obviously something went wrong if she hasn't, and your aversion to using her name only tells me you don't want me to know about it"

"Always so observant" Glynda smiled impressed "That'll do you good in your career as a Huntsman"

"How long will it take Qrow to prepare for a rescue mission?" Ozpin asked.

"Two hours from now, we'll have to notify him and he'll have to get somewhere to secure transport to even initiate the rescue-"

"Tell me where she is and I'll get her out of there long before that time frame" Slade proposed.

"I'd love to be able to make that decision so easily" Ozpin sighed "Unfortunately I cannot risk you being harmed-"

"Allow me to rephrase, Professor. I'm going after my sister whether or not you send me yourself, and my chances of success would be a lot higher if you gave me any information you know" Slade clarified.

"Now you listen here, Mr. Stroud. You may have proven invaluable during our mission to Foxworth, but you don't have enough experience to take on a clan of bandits on your own. You haven't even unlocked your Semblance yet and you've barely scratched the surface of what you can do with your aura" Glynda chastised.

"With all due respect, you don't know what I am capable of Professor Goodwitch" Slade countered in annoyance.

"Mr. Stroud, while I empathize with your current position, I cannot give you leave to go on your own to fight an entire clan of bandits. Qrow will handle it and you will remain here until he returns with your sister intact... am I understood?" Ozpin asked sternly.

"Whatever" Slade waved him off dismissively and walked toward the elevator opening it to leave "If you need me, I will be at home... alone... again" Slade added just before leaving.

Ozpin sighed in disappointment "Glynda, please inform Qrow of the situation and prepare to accompany him on the rescue" he ordered.

"I'm going as well?" she asked in surprise.

"Elise is the Summer Maiden, we cannot allow her power to be taken by Raven nor any harm come to her"

"I understand"

"If anything happens to Elise out there, Slade may very well finally be pushed past his breaking point. Salem won't have a very hard time convincing him to her side at that point"

"We cannot allow that to happen"

"Slade will blame me more than anyone, but you and Qrow won't be far down his list if she fails to return safely. I fear we may lose him forever if you fail"

"We'll make sure nothing happens to her, Professor. You can count on us"

Slade silently rode down the elevator toward the ground floor _Elise told me she was on a mission in the kingdom of Mistral... and Glynda just said she was captured by bandits... There's only one bandit clan in that area of Remnant_ he concluded with a smirk on his face "Thanks for the intel, Goodwitch" he laughed _Time to save my sister... hold on Elise, I'm coming_

* * *

"What's the deal?" Qrow asked as Glynda approached him very urgently.

"Elise has been captured"

Qrow spit out his drink "Who?" he asked concerned.

"Your sister" she sighed "She's managed to capture the Maiden's of Winter, Summer, Spring, and Fall. We don't know for what purpose but we sent her to investigate rumors of Huntsmen disappearing again only to find the rumors to be false. Maiden's were being captured not just Huntresses. Ozpin instructed her to report back to him once she had safely returned to Vale... we received a message earlier today that read "Raven... Bandits... Captured"

"Shit" Qrow sighed "Where?"

"Raven's been sighted somewhere in the eastern forests of Anima, if we move fast we can reach her before she moves camp again"

"Why would Raven capture the four Maidens? She knows they're the only ones capable of standing up to Salem-"

Glynda's scroll began ringing suddenly interrupting Qrow, she looked at the device and read a message from Ozpin "Put in your earpieces and use emergency frequency" she read aloud. They quickly did as instructed "Professor?" she asked.

"I know how Raven captured the Maidens"

"How?"

"She hijacked our frequencies and tracked them down capturing them on her own somehow. According to what my scouts have reported, she met with an unknown group a few weeks ago then suddenly became interested in the Maidens. I need you to get there immediately" he explained.

"Understood" Glynda replied.

"How do we know Raven's not listening in on us right now?" Qrow asked curiously.

"We don't" he replied.

"Guess we better move fast then"

"One more thing before you go... Slade's missing"

"Missing?" Qrow asked.

"Don't tell me he went after her" Glynda gasped.

"Unfortunately it seems that's exactly what he did, we don't know how long he's been gone but it's been at about an hour since he left my office. If he left straight from there and never went home it's possible he's still not too far by now, but he stole one of our Bullheads"

"Let's get a move on then" Qrow said rushing out the door.

"Professor, how do you know Slade is gone?" Glynda asked curiously.

"I sent Taiyang to check and make sure he made it home. Apparently he wasn't there" Ozpin explained "If Slade finds Raven's camp before you do and something happens to Elise... I don't know what he'll do"

"We're on it, Oz" Qrow assured.

"Thank you. Be careful... both of you"

* * *

Slade piloted the Bullhead as fast as he could over the forest of Mistral, he watched for the location rumored to have a bandit camp nearby, finding a smokestack overhead he decided to land and find out if his guess was correct. Stepping outside he quickly made his way to the outer wall of the camp, climbing a nearby tree and looking over the wall to find a camp full of bandits laughing and talking amongst themselves. Slade spotted the cage holding Elise and three other Huntresses inside.

 _Probably the team she went on mission with... but why capture Huntresses? It'd be much easier for them to have killed them_ he wondered to himself.

Slade spotted Elise out of the crowd right away but didn't recognize the others. One had a long white combat skirt with blue snowflakes adorning the sides and bright white hair with matching white eyes and a pale complexion. Another had bright blond hair and blue eyes along with wearing a long brown trench coat and gloves that covered up to her slightly knuckles, he complexion only fairly darker than the previous Huntress. The last one had a dark tan complexion with matching Brown hair and eyes while wearing a long, green hooded cloak on top of an off-white blouse with a brown vest, corset and pants. She also had a gold bracer on her left arm, two gold bracelets on her right wrist and a pair of golden armored boots. She had a golden pauldron on her right shoulder as well as a shoulder strap with some pouches slung diagonally across her body.

 _That last one looks much more suited to combat than the first two_ Slade concluded.

"Men!" a woman yelled authoritatively "Ozpin has sent my brother and his lovely assistant to come find us and knows we have all four of our prisoners somehow. According to him we also have a member of one of our visitors family coming to rescue them, keep an eye out for anything unusual and start packing up camp. I've contacted our employers and have alerted them to the problem. They've sent me coordinates for a secondary meet location. Hop to it!" she yelled. The men quickly scattered attempting to take down their camp as quickly as possible for fear of angering their leader.

"There goes the element of surprise" he sighed in annoyance, looking up he suddenly noticed the cage was empty "What the hell?"

"The prisoners have escaped!" a bandit yelled ringing a bell loudly "They're moving through the west forest!"

"West huh?" Slade asked watching as the bandits scurried after the weaponless Huntresses "Guess I'll just have to join the action"

Winter ran through the forest looking behind her to see the men following behind her. Looking forward she was grabbed by the throat by a large bandit angrily slamming her against the tree. Winter opened her mouth allowing a white mist to emerge from it freezing the mans arm and causing him to scream in anguish before slamming her hands down onto his arm, shattering it apart in the process and freeing herself to escape once more.

"Go! Go! Move faster!" yelled a bandit from one of the trucks driving on a dirt road toward the group of Huntresses escaping them "We need to reach them before they cross the town line!"

Amber tripped on a root in her path causing her to fall onto her back just as two bandits approached her. Amber quickly used her powers to pull the pine needles and twigs from the trees and dirt around her, violently launching them into her pursuers killing them instantly just before a third bandit tackled her into the ground placing a gun to her head "Don't move!" the man screamed just before being tackled off her by Elise stabbing a knife violently into his chest repeatedly.

"Are you alright, Amber?" Elise asked.

"Yeah, thank you, Elise" she answered. An angry roar tore through the forest clearly coming from a human "What the hell was that?" Amber asked.

"I have no idea, but I don't think we should stick around to find out" she helped Amber to her feet as the bandits closed in on them.

Slade weaved between the trees following the group of bandits pursuing Elise, snarling with each step as his anger boiled over.

"Right there right there!" a bandit yelled just as the one in the back noticed Slade's presence. He turned around firing at Slade "Right flank!" he yelled alerting the other bandits.

Slade used his gauntlets to deflect the rounds fired at him before slicing the man's throat with his wrist blades and quickly moving onto the second pushing his rifle back with his right hand and stabbing him through the chest with his left, moving toward the third and fourth target he sliced through the third's face before turning to kick the fourth's rifle away from him then stabbing his left blade into his chest violently throwing him backward from the force. Rushing toward another three bandit's, Slade pulled the rifle of the first's toward him and flipped the man over as his opposite hand sliced through his abdomen then slammed his fist into the second's chest knocking him onto his back as the first's rifle fired a round into his head, then leapt through the air embedding his blades into the final bandit's chest and pinning him to the tree trunk behind him. Pulling his blades out violently he let out an roar of pure rage before continuing to give chase after the bandits.

"Run! Elise, Amber, Run!" yelled Spring just before a bullet pierced her shoulder, dropping her onto her chest as a bandit pinned her down with her foot before placing a handgun to her head.

"I want you to breathe, it's just a flesh wound, baby girl" she laughed as she picked her up off the ground and tossed her to two nearby bandits "Take her back to camp" she ordered.

Slade continued to chase after the group following Elise as she split off from the other Huntresses. The truck from before with a mounted turret on the back fired at him, forcing Slade to dive to the ground to avoid being shot.

"We've got her now!" yelled one of the bandits as they surrounded Elise and she prepared to fight "Back that truck up!" he yelled as the truck came into place "You've got no where to go, give up now before we have to hurt you"

Elise saw Slade sprinting toward the group from behind with a look of pure rage adorning his features "Slade?" she asked confused.

"Slade?" asked one of the bandits "Who the hell is Slade-" he was interrupted by Slade's wrist blade going through his back. Slade grabbed his revolver from his holster and fired it into the bandit manning the mounted gun hitting him in the head using the previous bandit as a human shield to protect himself from incoming fire "Elise!" he yelled tossing her his gun, Slade then slit the bandit's throat before stabbing his left blade into the throat of the one next to him and kicked the other in the chest stumbling him backward as Elise fired the revolver into his chest. Leaping forward at a bandit aiming at Elise as she took down three more bandits, Slade wrenched his arm around his throat and flipped the man over his shoulder in midair slamming him into the ground painfully before stabbing him in the back.

"What're you doing here?" Elise asked confused.

Slade removed his blade from the bandit's back "Saving you from the looks of it"

"I can handle this myself" she shot back.

"Yeah you look like you're doing a great job of that-" a bullet tore through his shoulder as several more bandits came from behind them "Get behind me!" Slade yelled crouching down and placing his gauntlets over his face like armor. Slade stabbed his blades into two separate bandits as Elise stepped on his shoulder and launched herself with her knife in hand onto another bandit stabbing him in the chest before firing two rounds from the revolver to take down two bandits. Slade tiredly sliced another's throat as Elise bludgeoned another with the handle of the revolver, stumbling tiredly over to the final bandit he stabbed his blade into the man's abdomen and kicked him off the blade just as Elise finished up with her target.

"Slade, you need to get out of here. There's too many of them to take on our own and they wont stop chasing us now. We've given the others a fighting chance but we need to-"

"I know" Slade interrupted "Qrow and Glynda are on their way, if we head south we should run into them before they catch us"

"Do they know we're coming?" Elise asked following after Slade.

"I just messaged them before I attacked" Slade answered "Quickly they're gaining on us!" he yelled referring to the rather large group of bandits behind them.

"Slade, you can't allow me to be captured. If they catch us, promise me you'll kill me"

"What?! Hell no! That's not an option, we're not getting caught and even if we do we'll fight our way out of it"

"You don't understand, if they capture me-"

"Look out!" Slade yelled tackling her out of the way of an incoming bullet from the group of bandits behind them, suddenly they were trapped and surrounded in an open clearing.

"This isn't looking good" Elise sighed "We're in no condition to fight right now, Slade. You have to kill me-"

"I'm not gonna kill you"

"Slade-"

"No! Dammit! I can't lose you too!" he yelled as the bandits closed in, he roared angrily as he charged them with his blades drawn "Nobody is going to take you away from me" he added

Elise looked down at the revolver in her hands and found it to be empty "You're no help... I'm sorry, Slade" she sighed, taking a determined step forward "I have to do this" she rushed forward as Slade easily tore through the bandits with his blades, coming toward another bandit with his blade he pierced his chest as he was pushed out of the way. Slade was confused by the movement of the bandit considering the placement of his blade. Looking up he found his blade through Elise in a fatal position.

"Elise" he gasped in shock.

"Slade... I-" she spat a large amount of blood from her mouth to the ground between them. "I'm... I'm so..." she couldn't finish her statement, placing her right hand onto Slade's face, she caressed him lovingly, streaking blood onto his face. Slade grabbed her shoulder as she fell lifeless on his blade "No" he removed his blade from her chest and allowed her body to slump in his arms as he dropped to his knees "No, no, no, no... this can't be happening. Don't do this to me, Elise, please" he begged with tears streaming down his face struggling to keep pressure on her wound but it was too late. There was nothing more he could do, she was now dead. Slade wailed helplessly as tears streamed down his face.

"Dammit he killed her!" yelled one of the bandits angrily "To think of all the work we went though to get her alive" he sighed in annoyance.

"Reinforcements" another pointed out as Qrow and Glynda stared in shock at what had just happened.

"Elise" Glynda gasped.

"The poor kid" Qrow sighed looking to her corpse.

"We're too late" she covered her mouth with her hand in horror.

"We might have bigger problems" Qrow said gesturing to a slowly rising Slade as he roared in rage, a roar that sent chills down his spine.

"Take him down already!" yelled one of the bandits as he fired his rifle into Slade's chest only to find the bullets embedding into a rock behind him instead "What the hell?" he asked in confusion.

"How did he do that?" asked another in shock.

"He dodged them without even moving, that's insane!" another yelled taking a step back.

"You..." Slade growled "You... You're all... YOU'RE ALL GOING TO DIE!" Slade roared as he charged toward them as the very ground itself shifted away from him with every step, shattering the earth beneath his boots.

"Don't underestimate the Branwen Clan!" the nearest bandit to him yelled striking for him with his sword. Slade impaled him on his wrist blade, seemingly at the same time the two bandits next to him were impaled as well without having made contact with him, blood showering out from their wounds, covering Slade's mask and face.

"How is he doing that?" Glynda asked in shock and confusion.

"It can't be..." Qrow gasped.

"What? What is it, Qrow?" she asked not understanding.

Slade stood over a bandit as he attempted to crawl away with his wrist blade ready to strike. Three bandits leapt toward him with their blades ready to strike as they came down on him only to pass right through him and into the man below him.

"We can't hit him!" one of the bandits pointed out in shock. Slade twisted around with his wrist blades out severing the heads from the shoulders of the three men.

"Who is that guy?" asked one of the men fearfully.

"He wields strange powers!" another yelled frantically "Hurry we need to get the body for Raven!" he yelled as the men had moved to separate Slade and Elise's corpse as he attacked them, several of them rushed toward the body hoping the others could keep him at bay long enough for them to escape. Slade sprinted toward the group and completely passed through them without making contact with any of them as he ran.

"There's no mistake, this guys passes right through you! We can't hit him!" the bandit yelled.

Two bandits were about to reach Elise only for one of them to suddenly be slammed into the ground by an unknown force as Slade crashed his shoulder into the other and brutally beat him into the ground, slamming his fists into his face for the next several minutes as the rest of the bandits looked on in horror. Slade stood up from the body beneath him and began approaching the remaining bandits, they stepped back in fear of him.

"Slade's found his Semblance" Qrow answered Glynda's question.

The remaining Bandits suddenly were gripped by an unknown force and violently torn apart limb by limb to make the process as painful as possible for them before allowing them to be killed outright, a large pool of blood formed around Slade and Elise as the screaming became muffled groans and finally transitioned into silence.

"This... is his Semblance?" Glynda asked trying to mask her terror "I've never seen anything like it before... it's so... versatile and unpredictable... How can anyone control power like that?"

"I don't know... I'm not even quite sure what his Semblance is yet, but clearly it reacts to his emotions"

"How horrible... to be burdened with such a horrific power..."

Slade approached Elise's body and picked up his weapon. Kneeling down, he placed his arm underneath her head removing his hood and mask with his opposite hand. Pressing his face into her head he let the tears flow from his eyes, he was covered in blood from head to toe, his armor was torn in several places and his blades were so red they looked like they could never be washed again. Slade picked up Elise's body in his arms as he turned toward them, his eyes cold and completely devoid of emotion.

"Slade... I'm sorry we weren't fast enough-" Qrow attempted.

Slade never said anything, passing right by them toward the bullhead they had arrived in.

"Mr. Stroud?" Glynda asked turning toward him concerned, but again, he never spoke. Not once did he look at them, silently entering the tree line.

Qrow and Glynda looked to each other with concern "Don't worry, Glynda. Oz will know what to do" Qrow offered hopefully.

* * *

"The Spring Maiden was captured and moved to an unknown location, Elise was killed thus keeping the power from Raven's employers and The Winter Maiden and Amber escaped from them and have reported back to us. I'd say overall it wasn't a total failure" Ozpin listed off to Glynda.

"You forgot to mention Slade" Glynda pointed out.

"Mr. Stroud has lost the last member of his family because of me... I don't deserve his forgiveness and would never ask for it" Ozpin sighed "I suppose he won't be attending my school after what happened"

"Probably not" Glynda agreed "If Salem were to approach him now and offer him a place at her side to take you down, I doubt he'd turn it down"

"With a Semblance as powerful as his, I doubt we'd be able to stop him" he shook his head in disappointment "If James were here, I'm sure he would advise me to destroy him before he gets the chance to be a threat"

"We can't kill him just because he lost family members, Professor. The boy deserves better than that, his parents would want better than that"

"I know, Glynda. I don't plan on killing him unless there is no other option" he replied "I hope Slade takes my offer to attend Beacon. It will give him a chance to make friends who can help fill the void left behind by the loss of his family members"

"So it's decided then? We're going to ask him what he feels about attending Beacon in two months time?" she asked.

"That sounds like the most logical move to make" he replied. The two of them remained silent for the moment "How's-"

The elevator opened to reveal Qrow entering with a concerned expression on his face "Oz, Glynda" he nodded toward each of them.

"How is he, Qrow?" Glynda asked concerned.

"He's..." Qrow thought back to a few minutes prior.

Qrow had gone to the bathroom Slade was cleaning himself up in to see how he was holding up, he noticed the door was open but Slade's bloody clothes remained on the floor next to it "Slade? You alright, kid-" he stopped midsentence upon entering to see him sitting silently in the bathtub with the shower running hot, shaking. There was no recognition in his eyes to him having even entered the room. He just kept staring forward, he couldn't even stop his body from shaking if he had wanted.

Qrow sighed rolling up his sleeves as he entered, kneeling down beside him "It's alright, kid. I'm here" he said trying to soothe the boy, he picked up the sponge that had been left discarded by the door, placing it into the water. Squeezing the water out of it onto his shoulders, he began to wash Slade of the blood on his body. Slade stopped shaking at the contact but never moved or said anything. He silently waited for Qrow to finish, tears began to fall from his eyes. Slade silently sobbed as Qrow gently washed the blood from his hands.

"He's..." Qrow continued "He's not doing good, Oz. The kid didn't even notice I was in the room with him. I washed him and he never said or did anything... I put a towel around him and let him get some sleep inside one of the empty dorms" Qrow shook his head in disappointment "I'm worried about him"

"As are we all, Qrow" Ozpin assured him "I'll give him some time to sleep, then go speak to him myself"

"There's no need" Slade's voice spoke from behind Ozpin, startling him.

"Slade!" Qrow gasped in shock "How long have you been there?"

"Long enough" Slade answered "I accept your offer to attend Beacon" Slade was still wearing his bloodied clothes.

"You do?" Ozpin asked surprised "I honestly thought you would've said no-"

"It'll provide me an opportunity to sharpen my skills and master my Semblance. I can't be a Huntsman without that now can I?" Slade asked.

"You seem surprisingly more cooperative than I'd have thought you'd be right now" Qrow pointed out suspiciously "What changed?"

"I need to move past what's happened and continue on with my life. My family wouldn't want me wallowing in self pity, so I wont. I plan on practicing until I attend Beacon and become stronger for it" Slade explained.

"That seems... reasonable" Ozpin agreed.

"Excellent" Slade moved to look Ozpin in the eye "But, I need some answers first"

"I imagine you do"

"Who was the woman we saw once we destroyed the crystal back in Foxworth? It seemed almost like she could control the darkness around us, and the one in the hood. Do you know who she is?" Why would bandits capture Huntresses instead of killing them? Why work so hard to keep them alive? Why was Elise so fixated on me killing her if we were caught?"

"It's going to take me a long time to explain all of that" Ozpin sighed "Most of what you've just asked, I cannot tell you. Knowing would only put you in more danger" he explained.

"Then tell me what you do know" Slade leaned onto the front of the desk.

"The woman you saw in the hood is unknown to us as of right now. The one who appeared after the ritual was disrupted is an old enemy the majority of the world doesn't know about, and cannot know about. If the world knew about her, everyone would be terrified, drawing in the Grimm" he explained "She was able to control the darkness for the same reason she can control the Grimm... because she merged with the darkness long ago... the ritual being performed in the facility was intended to create a powerful Grimm to assist her in destroying our world. Stopping it bought us a great deal more time before she can gather the power to do so again, which is why she had your sister and the other Huntresses captured" he continued.

"Professor, do you think it's wise to tell him such things? He's far too young-" Glynda began, earning a glare from Slade.

"Slade may be young, but he's also helped stop her plans on three different occasions at a great cost to himself" Ozpin explained "He's earned an explanation for what his family fought and died for"

"I... Yes, Professor" she relented.

"As much as I appreciate you telling me the truth about all of this, that still doesn't answer why Elise was so desperate to die over being captured"

"The ritual being performed was only going to be successful due to the use of the souls of Huntsmen they captured as sacrifices. Their souls lingered, fueling the ritual, that's the voices you heard there" Ozpin sighed in disappointment "The more powerful a Huntsman becomes, the more powerful their soul is. Sacrificing a few powerful Huntsmen would've furthered her goals much more than a hundred civilians would... Elise knew if she were to be sacrificed for such a ritual she wouldn't need much more to finish summoning the Grimm. Of course there's also the fact of being a sacrifice to such a ritual leaves your body under the control of our enemy, that's why those bodies attacked your parents just before the explosion" Ozpin stopped collecting his thoughts "Elise chose death by your hands over such a fate. Perhaps she knew she could one day be used against you, something she never wanted to do"

"How does me killing her stop her from being controlled by this... enemy?" Slade asked.

"Because her soul wouldn't be trapped inside the Grimm summoned by her death" he answered "Do you understand now why people cannot know about her existence? Only a few people in the entire world know about her... and only about half of them are on our side"

"I understand" Slade sighed "If people knew about her and feared her or panicked, the Grimm would attack much more easily. More than likely giving her exactly what she wants"

"Precisely" Ozpin smiled lightly "One day, I will tell you everything about her and why she has yet to be defeated permanently. One day I believe you will accomplish great things. Of course, that cannot happen without the proper training" he chuckled.

"Then I should get started immediately" Slade replied "I'll see you all in two months... and don't worry, I won't say anything to anyone about what happened" Slade looked to Qrow with an uncertain expression "Qrow... I... thanks" he added before passing through the nearby wall, disappearing from sight.

"I'm never gonna get used to that" Qrow sighed taking a swig from his flask but he smiled knowing Slade was strong enough to make it through this _I'll always have your back, kid_

* * *

 **(Two Months Later)**

Slade stared out the window of the student transport as it soared over the city of Vale. Sighing in annoyance at the students all conversing around him he started fidgeting with his newly constructed gauntlets shining pristinely in the lighting of the ship.

"Look, there's Beacon!" called a boy excitedly running to the glass and watching as they approached the school "It looks so cool" he mused to his two friends coming up behind him. The boy had short brown hair and a dark complexion, with blue eyes and a large physique clearly showing himself to be overweight. Two massive red and silver gauntlets covered his hands matching his armor covering him from the shoulder down with only a small amount of red cloth on his chest to separate the silver plates and a blue lightning symbol on his chest.

"You let such weird things get you excited" sighed the girl on his left. She had light green hair pulled back in a ponytail cascading down her shoulder with her left eye being a dark brown and her right eye being a light gray. She had a light complexion with a dark purple cape coming down from her hood hanging over her back and a lighter shade jacket covering her shoulders with three knives on each shoulder, she had a double edged spear on her back and a light orange flame symbol on her shoulder "You really should be more serious if you're gonna make it here, Dusk" she chastised.

"Ignore Willow, she's just jealous of your eating habits" a second girl laughed at her own joke earning a glare from Willow and a smile from Dusk. The girl had gray hair pulled back in a spiked ponytail and bright orange eyes with a thin dark green combat-skirt with yellow lacing around the edges. She had a sword sheathed on her back with a small purple whirlpool symbol on her waist.

"I'd be pissed at you right now if it wasn't true, Hazel" Willow laughed causing them both to laugh.

 _Idiots_ Slade thought to himself with a roll of his eyes.

"Attention: We're docking now, prepare to disembark shortly" Glynda's voice recording played over the PA system.

"Finally" Slade sighed "The sooner I can get out of this deathtrap the better" he walked toward the exit only to knock over another student causing them to cry out in surprise.

"Hey! Watch where you're going!" Willow yelled as she picked herself up into a sitting position.

Slade remained silent looking down at her with annoyance, he shook his head before continuing toward the exit "What a jerk" Dusk said helping Willow to her feet.

"Imagine being on his team" Hazel agreed "He's not going to get very far acting like that, definitely not a team player.

"Yeah..." Willow stared after him "Did you guys notice?" she asked.

"Notice what?" Dusk asked confused.

"His eyes" Hazel answered "They were so cold, I've never seen someone with such a dark gaze... lifeless... cold and calculating... almost like a predator stalking it's pray" she explained.

"I didn't see it" Dusk said confused.

"It was for the briefest of moments, no more than a few seconds at most before his eyes returned to normal... I don't ever want to see that look again" Willow shivered.

"I really don't want to end up fighting him in a tournament then" Dusk said nervously laughing.

"Definitely not" Hazel agreed.

* * *

 **Here it is, yeah I know, the chapter is over already. Sorry if you were hoping for more but you'll just have to wait a little longer. I should be able to manage at least one chapter a week as I already have sixteen chapters worth written down, I just need to type it up and figure out what order some scenes need to go in and such. Thanks for reading! See you guys next week!**


	6. Isolation

**Hey guys! Hope you're all liking the story so far, all of your support is greatly appreciated. I don't have all that much to say this time around, but hope you all like this chapter.**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing!**

"Speech"

 _Thoughts_

* * *

 **Chapter Six: Isolation**

Slade stepped out of the doorway to exit the student transport, quickly pulling away from the other students. Looking up at the building in front of him his lips formed into a frown.

"This is it... the building responsible for training my family to be Huntsmen... Fate has a funny sense of humor" Slade's gaze darkened dramatically.

 _Until you embrace your full potential you will only be a pawn of fate, never it's master_ a dark feminine voice rang in his ears.

Slade quickly drew his weapon and turned around, coming face to face with Qrow Branwen "Woah there, kiddo" he put his hands up in surrender.

His eyes displayed his surprise at Qrow's presence "Sorry" Slade apologized placing his gun back into it's holster.

"You're fine, it's understandable for you to be a bit jumpy on your first day here... especially considering what you've already been through" Qrow waved his hand dismissively.

"Yeah..." Slade remained silent about the voice he heard _perhaps it was just my imagination_.

Qrow and Slade stood awkwardly not quite sure what to talk about, neither of them had seen each other since Elise's passing "Why don't I show you to the auditorium. Oz wouldn't want you to be late for his address" Qrow offered.

"Thank you, that would be helpful" he nodded stepping out of Qrow's path and following him.

"Don't mention it"

They both remained silent as Qrow led him to the auditorium , neither of them able to think of a good conversation starter. They arrived to find the building already full of students "Looks like your classmates are all very prompt" he smirked "Oz should be starting soon, we'll catch up later"

"I suppose I'll see you later then" Slade gave a small wave as he turned to leave.

"Keep out of trouble, kid. You'll do fine here" Qrow offered back with a matching wave.

"Do you think the rumors about the test are true?" Slade overheard Dusk's voice ask curiously.

"How should I know? We haven't even taken the test yet" Willow asked incredulously.

"Well the rumor going around is we get one partner and that's who you have to be with for the rest of the four years here" Hazel explained "If that is true, then one of us could potentially end up with another partner than the three of us here"

"Sounds like a stupid rumor to me" Willow laughed "What kind of a test would put you with someone else to pass? We're here to learn how to be Huntresses not hold hands and sing kumbaya"

"Perhaps a test looking to judge your ability to work with others" Slade answered leaning against the wall behind them with his arms crossed. The group turned to look at him in surprise.

"How long have you been eavesdropping?" Willow asked accusingly.

"It's not eavesdropping when you practically yelled every sentence" Slade replied "If you would like to know how long I've been able to hear you, I'd say about the past two minutes or so"

"Well next time don't!" Willow yelled indignantly.

"You do realize you're just proving his point don't you?" Hazel pointed out with a laugh.

Willow's eyes shot open in alarm "Shut up!" she yelled back causing her two friends to laugh.

 _What a bunch of idiots_ Slade thought with a roll of his eyes.

Ozpin took to the stage as they continued to argue amongst themselves, he cleared his throat into the microphone causing the students to fall silent in anticipation.

"Let's keep this brief shall we?" he smiled at the students in front of him "You have traveled here today in search of knowledge, to hone your craft and acquire new skills, and when you have finished, you plan to dedicate your life to the protection of the people. And when I look amongst you here today I see such raw potential in all of you, the potential for great things" Ozpin gestured to the students in front of him. Suddenly the room darkened and Ozpin changed from the man in front of them to a woman with deathly white skin, covered with deep red and purple veins that run up her arms and face. The sclerae of her eyes are jet black and her irises glow red. She has a black diamond-shaped marking in the center of her forehead. She wears a very long black robe with red designs resembling eyes and a ring resembling an insect on her right index finger. She has white hair formed into a bun with six offshoots, three on each side from which ornaments are suspended.

 _That's the face I saw during our mission to Foxworth!_ Slade's eyes shot open in alarm, looking at the students in front of him they seemed completely unfazed by this transformation. The dark voice he heard moments ago began to speak from the woman's lips.

"You are mine" she grinned malevolently "Servants... Slaves... Weapons" she listed off gesturing to a particular group of students in the crowd, Slade was unable to see who she was pointing out through the crowd in front of him "And you will obey!"

"Stop!" Slade yelled at the top of his lungs dropping to his knees with his eyes shut and his hands on his head in searing pain, causing all of the students to look at him in shock. Ozpin stopped abruptly looking over toward Slade following the other students gaze, Slade opened his eyes to find he was still in the auditorium with all of the students staring back at him and Ozpin looking at him in surprise.

"Getup, kid" Qrow said pulling Slade to his feet "Come with me" he dragged him out of the auditorium with the students still watching in confusion and shock.

Ozpin cleared his throat "Probably just has a headache from all the speakers in here" he joked with a light chuckle trying to lighten the mood "To continue from where I left off-"

* * *

Slade sat silently in the chair opposite Ozpin's desk awaiting his arrival with Qrow watching him intently "Aren't you going to ask me what happened?" Slade asked curiously.

"Oz is going to want to hear it from you as well, better to wait for him instead of repeating it twice" he answered.

"I suppose you're right" he sighed "I hope he can help me"

"I'll certainly do my best" Ozpin assured him as he stepped out of the elevator with Glynda not far behind him. Ozpin sat on the front of his desk looking at Slade intently "What happened back in the auditorium? You almost seemed like you were... suffering"

"I was" Slade replied his hand reaching up to his head as he remembered the agonizing pain "When I first got off the transport here at Beacon this morning I heard a voice speaking to me, I assumed it was someone behind me as I had felt a presence... it felt wrong... out of place... When I turned I found Qrow to be the only one there, that's when he guided me to the auditorium"

"That's why you were pointing your gun at me?" Qrow asked surprised.

"Please continue Mr. Stroud" Ozpin implored.

"I... When you were giving your speech Professor, you changed into the one we saw in our mission to Foxworth"

"The one in the hood?" Glynda asked curiously.

"No" Qrow breathed out in fear "Salem" he answered her question low enough so Slade couldn't hear.

"The one who's face appeared once we closed the portal" Slade answered "You turned into her and said something to specific students in the room but I couldn't see who"

"What exactly did she say?" Ozpin asked leaning forward.

"She said they were hers, her servants, weapons, slaves, and they would obey" he answered, looking at the floor between the two of them "That's all I heard before the immense amount of pain in my head began"

"Interesting" Ozpin contemplated the words briefly before asking "What about just before you met with Qrow? What did she say then?"

"She said until I embrace my full potential I will only ever be a pawn of fate and never it's master" he answered "What does this all mean, Professor?"

"I wish I knew for sure, the little that I do know I cannot tell you. It would put you in more danger than it would serve to help you... why don't you rejoin the students so you can get some sleep for tomorrow. You're going to need it for your-"

 _Reckless pride, limbed by self-righteousness..._ the voice echoed as she once again appeared before Slade staring down a frozen Ozpin _You are master of nothing_ she suddenly disappeared.

"-Test tom-" Ozpin suddenly stopped looking around somewhat alarmed.

"Professor?" Glynda asked surprised.

"Apologies I thought I heard something" he answered with a soothing smile "As I was saying your test tomorrow is going to be rough so you're going to need to rest up for the morning. Ms. Goodwitch will show you to where you'll be sleeping tonight"

"What should I say if anyone asks what was wrong in the auditorium?" Slade asked.

"Whatever you feel comfortable with" Ozpin answered "Honestly there's not a lot of ways we could spin this that would paint you as mentally sound" he continued with a small frown.

"Understood" Slade answered standing from his chair "I'll see you tomorrow, Professor"

"You can count on that" Ozpin waved lightheartedly as Slade and Glynda entered the elevator and left the room. The moment he exited earshot Ozpin's expression dropped into a concerned frown "I felt her, Qrow... heard her. Salem was here"

"How?"

"I don't know, but I can tell Slade saw and heard everything I did. I knew I felt something off in the auditorium but I thought it was just Slade when he had his outburst. Now I know what it really was"

"Salem"

"I don't know how or why, but Slade is able to see and hear her even when she isn't present"

"Do you think it has something to do with our mission to Foxworth?" Qrow asked curiously.

"It's possible he was close enough to the explosion of energy when Viridian set off her explosives and was the only one affected by it" Ozpin concluded "I will have to consult with the other Headmaster's before anything else. Perhaps Leonardo could shed some light on the situation before it becomes out of hand"

"What about the students Salem pointed to in the auditorium? Do you think there's some students here that are working for her?" Qrow asked concerned.

"I don't know, it could be nothing or it could be something detrimental to all of us, I want you to keep an eye on the students of Slade's year. I want to know who has infiltrated my school before they have a chance to do anything"

"Understood" Qrow nodded in agreement "What about Slade? Should I keep an eye on him?"

"Glynda and I can do that ourselves" he assured him "Don't concern yourself with it, if there's anything we can do to help him, we will do it"

"Thanks, Oz" Qrow smiled lightly.

* * *

Glynda led Slade into a large room with several large windows along the wall to his left. There were several rows of students in their bedrolls already with many empty ones belonging to the socializing students around the room.

"This is where you will be staying tonight. Tomorrow if you pass the test you will be assigned dormitories" Glynda explained.

"Thank you"

"What do you plan on telling the other students if they ask you what happened?" she asked curiously.

"Seeing as Professor Ozpin would probably prefer if I downplayed the situation, I will tell them the truth. I honestly have no idea what caused what happened during his speech but it was painful and I forgot where I was for a brief moment" he explained before entering the room without another word.

"I see..." she replied barely above a whisper "What an interesting child" she mused to herself.

Slade silently walked through the room, finding a corner unoccupied by the other students he decided that would be where he slept. The student's eyes were on him the entire time, faint whispers could be heard as they gossiped amongst themselves about the incident that took place a mere hour ago. Slade sighed in annoyance with a slight shake of his head.

"There's that guy again" Dusk pointed out.

"Yeah, I wouldn't want to be partnered with him" Willow said with a slight frown on her face.

"He seemed different back in the auditorium" Hazel reminded them "Almost like a completely different person"

"Yeah, that's why we don't want to be partnered with him, Hazel. His plug doesn't quite reach the outlet" Willow explained "You never know what to expect from someone like that"

"I certainly never would associate with the guy we met on the ship, his eyes told me everything I needed to know about him right there and then. So how could his eyes change so drastically in the spawn of fifteen minutes?" she wondered aloud.

"Because the guy's screws are loose?" Dusk offered with a shrug.

"Thank you!" Willow half yelled.

"I'm not so sure" Hazel crossed her arms deep in thought "I'm gonna go talk to him" she announced as she approached the boy in question sitting down in the corner with his hood pulled over his face.

"Are you insane!?" Willow and Dusk quietly called after her simultaneously.

"Hey" Hazel greeted with a small smile "I'm-"

"Hazel" Slade said interrupting him "It's a pleasure to meet you" he replied standing up from his place on the floor.

"How'd-"

"I know your name?" Slade asked "Your friend talks pretty loudly" he answered gesturing to Willow with his head.

"I suppose she does" Hazel laughed.

"Slade" he greeted extending his hand for a handshake.

"Pleasure to meet you Slade" she shook his hand firmly "Those two idiots over there are Willow and Dusk" she explained pointing back to them.

"We can hear you!" Willow shouted earning several annoyed hushes from the other students "Make me!" she yelled at them crossing her arms in annoyance.

"She seems like a fun one" Slade joked.

"Willow has her moments, though she prefers to be loud and obnoxious" Hazel chuckled, she gestured for her friends to come over. Dusk quickly walked over while their mutual friend Willow begrudgingly followed behind him, mumbling all the while.

"Hi" Dusk greeted.

"Yo" Slade waved.

"Say hi, Willow" Hazel elbowed her.

"Hi" she hissed.

"Pleasure to meet you both" Slade smirked slightly.

"This is Slade" Hazel introduced the newcomer to his friends.

"Nice gauntlets, did you make them yourself?" Dusk asked curiously.

"I did indeed, though with only minor assistance from my mother on the right one here" he admitted "Yours are also well crafted"

"Thank you" Dusk smiled "Slade doesn't seem so bad, Willow" he said turning to his friend.

"Tch… whatever" she scoffed "Doesn't change the fact he had a mental breakdown during Professor Ozpin's speech today" she added rudely.

"Willow!" Hazel yelled incredulously.

"It's fine" Slade waved his hand dismissively "I've dealt with far worse in this world already than any insult your friend could throw my way"

"Well that's... unfortunate?" Dusk asked not quite knowing how to respond.

"What exactly did happen back in the auditorium? If you don't mind me asking that is" Hazel asked cautiously.

"I'm not really sure" Slade answered "One minute I was intently listening to the Professor and the next I had an incredible pain in my head that I couldn't shake. It was so bad I forgot where I was for a brief moment and couldn't even stand through it" he explained further.

"Wow, that doesn't sound like fun" Dusk commented.

 _You have no idea_ Slade thought to himself "Yeah, hopefully whatever caused it was just a fluke thing and won't be happening again. Can't have that happening in the middle of a battle or anything now can I?" Slade asked rhetorically.

"No I imagine not" Hazel agreed.

"Lights out students" Glynda called from the doorway causing all of the students to quickly return to their bedrolls.

"Guess that's our cue to get some rest" Slade smiled at the three students in front of him "Good luck on the test tomorrow"

"To you as well" Hazel waved as she turned to leave.

"We don't need luck" Willow deadpanned before quickly leaving.

"Willow" Dusk groaned "Can't you try and be nice for five minutes?"

"Not to some mentally unstable lunatic" she replied.

"Becomes redundant once you said mentally unstable, Willow" Hazel chuckled.

"Shut up! Don't correct me dammit!"

Slade smirked at their odd way of interacting _what a strange group of friends they are_ he thought to himself.

* * *

The next morning Slade awakened from yet another nightmare, sweating as he quickly took in hid surroundings. Sighing with a small shake of his head he watched as the other students all had awakened and began getting prepared for the their upcoming exam "Time to get ready then" Slade stood from his place in the corner and quickly moved to the bathroom getting himself ready for test. Slade took little more than a couple of minutes to prepare as several other students came in and out of the bathroom preparing for the day. The bathroom was empty as he finished up, rinsing off his hands in the sink he stared down somewhat surprised at his hands. There was blood covering his hands instead of the water her had anticipated, but it wasn't coming from the faucet. Perturbed, he quickly began scrubbing his hands together in the running water, trying desperately to wash the blood from his hands. The faces of his family flashed in his mind as he did causing him to growl in annoyance, slamming his fist onto the counter with enough force to crack it.

 _We don't understand what she is, What she can do_ an unfamiliar feminine voice said in his ear. Slade turned confused looking around to find no one there with him.

 _She will cleanse the world of our impurity_ another claimed.

 _All she feels is cold rage_ his mother's voice spoke "Mother?" Slade asked looking in the mirror to find no one there but himself.

 _I saw everything... every life_ his father's claimed fearfully.

 _There will come a moment_ a deep masculine voice spoke

 _Every life she took_ his father's continued.

 _When she is vulnerable_ the deep voice added.

 _Every last death you've caused_ Ozpin spoke.

 _Do you believe you're making a difference?_ Qrow's voice asked _In the end... she wins_

 _She will destroy the entire world, and everyone you love along with it_ Ozpin explained.

 _It is you who fears death!_ Qrow's voice yelled in rage deafeningly.

Slade dropped onto his knees in pain once more unable to bear the searing pain seemingly drilling it's way into his brain as the voices continued to yell and scream unintelligibly until they suddenly came to a stop, as Slade dropped onto his hands in relief.

 _There is no death... only darkness... and I am it's master_ the voice from the auditorium said as a presence was felt in front of Slade kneeling down in front of him.

Slade looked up ready to strike only to find Hazel staring back at him "Are you alright?" she asked "Hello? Anybody home?" she waved her hand in front of his face.

"I'm fine" Slade answered standing up abruptly "I merely slipped"

"Ah, well you must've hit your head on the way down then. I asked if you were alright a few times before you even looked at me" she explained.

"Yes, the counter is a lot harder than it looks" Slade agreed gesturing to the cracked spot on the countertop.

"Seems like your head is just as tough" she laughed "Are you ready for our test today?" she asked curiously.

"I was born ready" Slade answered with a confident smirk.

"That's what I like to hear" she smiled brightly at him. They remained silent for several seconds as Slade began to chuckle "What?"

"Did you hear me fall down or did you just walk into the men's room on accident?" he asked causing Hazel to blush madly from embarrassment.

"I-I heard you fall!" she answered indignantly as she quickly left without another word.

"Uh-huh, don't worry I believe you" Slade replied unconvincingly.

"Screw you!" she called back as she left.

Slade shook his head with a small laugh as he exited the bathroom as well and headed to find something to eat. Upon arriving in the cafeteria he saw a brief flash of light, the very air around him felt still and cold. Looking in front of him he found four girls in Beacon uniforms walking toward him, one with a red hooded cape hanging off the back of it. The hooded girl had short dark red hair that looked practically black out of the light and silver eyes, the one next to her had long dark black hair with a bow tied in it and amber colored eyes, while the third had long white hair tied back in a ponytail and light blue eyes. Slade's eyes were fixated on the final girl of the group, she had long blonde hair and a pair of stunning Lilac colored eyes, he couldn't take his eyes off of her. She was by far the most beautiful girl he had ever set his eyes upon. Then suddenly the room shifted into a destroyed mess with fire burning everywhere and Grimm running rampant outside the shattered walls, the black haired girl was lying beneath a male Faunus with bright red hair and a sword in his hand preparing to strike though her outfit had changed from the uniform she had worn earlier. Looking behind him he found the blonde flying through the air prepared to strike only to have her arm sliced off by the blade before the room returned to normal as several students pushed their way past him to get to the nearby tables.

"What the..." he remained silent for a short period as he collected his thoughts _What the hell is going on around here?_ he asked himself confused.

* * *

Ozpin stood at the edged of the cliff looking at the students in front of him with a warm smile "Good morning students" he greeted cheerfully before taking a sip from his coffee mug "For years you have trained to become warriors" Ozpin began as all the students stood at the cliff with him and Glynda. Slade stood between Willow and Dusk "Today your abilities will be evaluated in the Emerald Forest"

"Now I'm sure you've all heard rumors about teams, let us put your concerns to rest" Glynda explained "Each of you will be given team mates... today"

"These teammates will be with you throughout your time here at Beacon, so it is in your best interest to be paired with someone with whom you can work well" Ozpin added. Slade chuckled at the nervous groans around him "That being said, the first person you make eye contact with will be your partner for the next four years" he finished.

"What!" Dusk shouted in shock.

"After you have partnered up, make your way to the northern end of the forest, you will meet opposition along the way, do not hesitate to destroy everything in your path or you will die. You will be monitored and graded for the duration of your initiation, but our instructors will not intervene. You will find an abandoned temple containing several relics. Each pair must choose one then return to the top of the cliff, we will regard that item as well as your standing and grade you appropriately. Are there any questions?" Ozpin finished explaining.

"This sounds practiced" Slade noted silently to himself.

"Good, now take your positions" Ozpin added within a second of asking his question. Slade smirked, preparing to be launched into the forest below as the other students were launched one by one. Slade was thrown through the air toward the forest below away from the group of students behind him.

"You know what to do" Ozpin said to the crow sitting on the edge of the cliff overlooking the students soaring through the air and landing into the forest beneath them. The crow dropped from the cliff and soared through the air after Slade watching him closely as he implemented his own landing strategy.

Slade stabbed his gauntlet's blade into a nearby tree branch swinging around it before launching himself forward onto another branch, then jumping through the trees in front of him using his semblance and rolling into a landing as he reached the earth below him. Slade took off as fast as he was able through the forest as he searched for his new "Partner" for his time at Beacon.

Hazel stood in the small clearing she landed in, looking around cautiously as she searched for her friends. Hoping to be partnered with one of them before someone else found her or them.

"Hazel!" Dusk called out as he entered the clearing "Looks like we're partners" he pointed out.

"Looks that way, I'm just glad it's someone I know and not a stranger I wouldn't get along with"

"Yeah, I just hope Willow ends up with someone she can stand" Dusk mused aloud.

"You know Willow, Dusk. She hates everyone" she laughed.

"Damn right I do!" Willow yelled as she dropped down from a nearby tree.

"Nice of you to drop in" Dusk joked.

"Oh haha"

"Unfortunately you're late, Dusk and I have already partnered up. You're gonna have to find somebody else to partner with" Hazel explained.

"Yeah, yeah, fine. As long as it's not-" Willow was interrupted by a gunshot ringing through the air as a bullet soared past her ear, she stopped dead as a loud thud could be heard from behind the group. Turning around she found a dead Ursa slowly disappear before her eyes "-Slade" she finished breathing in relief.

"How unfortunate for you that I was the first one to find you then" Slade replied from a nearby tree branch as he flipped the gun in his hand before holstering it.

"Ugh" Willow groaned in annoyance "Why do you have to be so annoying?" she asked not expecting an honest answer.

"Likely the same reason you're always such a bitch"

"Excuse me?" she asked in shock.

"We have a test to pass, if you wouldn't mind. I don't want to fail on your account"

"My account? Look here you little-"

"Willow, just let it go" Hazel sighed "Slade's right, we have a test to pass"

"Where exactly is the temple then? I'm sure you don't even know so why should I listen-"

"It's this way" Slade answered without turning back toward them as he continued on.

"How do you know that?" Dusk asked curiously.

"Because I know where the temple is Professor Ozpin spoke of before we even started the test" he answered "My sister and I came through here fairly often once I began training how to fight. We often practiced on the Grimm, we always used the temple as a place to rest and eat before making the long walk back home" he explained further.

"Oh" Willow relented genuinely surprised.

"I'm glad you're partnered with Slade" Dusk smiled brightly as he followed with Hazel shortly behind him.

"I have to agree there" Hazel laughed.

"Whatever" Willow sighed following behind her two friends.

The group came upon the temple not long afterward "There it is" Slade pointed down the hill beneath them "If this isn't the temple Professor Ozpin wanted us to find then I don't know where it would be"

"You mean you don't know this is the right temple?" Willow asked incredulously.

"Not for certain, no. Though I know this forest like the back of my hand, if there is another temple in this forest I've never seen it. Although there was this one structure not far from here that could be it"

"Were those there before?" Dusk asked pointing to the chess pieces.

"No, these must be the relics we're supposed to collect" Slade answered.

"Which ones should we take?"

"What about this one?" Hazel asked picking up the gold knight piece.

"The pony?" Willow asked crossing her arms over her chest "At least I know I'm not going to get a stupid piece like that-" Willow stopped upon seeing Slade holding up the matching piece in his hand with a cocky grin "You're doing that to piss me off aren't you?" Willow asked with a sigh.

"Yup" Slade smirked.

"I hate you" she groaned.

"Don't care" Slade replied with a chuckle.

"Dick"

"I've been called worse"

"I'm sure you have" she laughed.

"This wasn't as hard as I thought it would be" Dusk pointed out surprised.

"I must admit, it is surprising to have only run into that one Ursa throughout the whole test so far" Willow agreed.

"Well we still have plenty of time to find Grimm on the way back to the cliff with Professor Ozpin" Hazel offered "We'll probably have the roughest go once we start getting close since we're the first ones here" she added thoughtfully.

"Let's get started then. The faster we get there, the less time we have to run into issues" Slade said leading them back toward the cliff, Slade stopped suddenly as they reached the tree line.

"Something wrong?" Hazel asked mildly concerned.

Slade suddenly spun around with his gun in hand aiming for a nearby tree branch and firing, causing a lone crow to chirp in surprise and quickly fly off further ahead of them.

"Great job, you not only missed what you were shooting at but you shot at a bird" Willow smirked.

"I didn't miss" Slade replied "If I wanted the bird dead I would've shot it. I wasn't aware it was a bird of course" he explained before turning to keep his eyes on the crow.

"Sure, whatever you say" she rolled her eyes in annoyance "Can we get moving already?" she asked impatiently.

"By all means, lead the way" Slade stepped back gesturing for her to pass him. Willow scoffed but nonetheless did as he said, the group walked in relative silence for a time until the cliff came closer into view.

"We're close now" Hazel pointed out.

"Indeed, there should be some old ruins just below the cliff we can use to get high enough to reach the top" Slade explained.

"That's good to know, I really don't like the idea of climbing up the cliff ourselves" Willow admitted.

Dusk approached Slade from behind with Hazel right behind him "So... Slade" Dusk began.

"Something bothering you, Dusk?" Slade asked raising an eyebrow at him.

"Not particularly" he answered "Just wondering what made you want to be a Huntsman"

"Hmm..." Slade thought about it for a short time "I suppose... mostly because of my family" he answered.

"You come from a family of Huntsmen?" Hazel asked curiously.

"Yes" Slade answered "The Stroud's have been Huntsmen and Huntresses for generations" he added.

"You're a Stroud?" Hazel asked in shock.

"Is that a big deal?" Dusk asked confused how Hazel knew the name.

"They're some of the most powerful Huntsmen to ever live" she answered.

"Wasn't there someone a few years back that won the Vytal Festival tournament here at Beacon?" Dusk asked.

"My sister" Slade answered "Elise Stroud"

"That's the name!" Willow snapped her fingers as she turned back to Slade "You're related to her?" she asked almost excited.

"Yes, what of it?" he asked curiously.

"I've always wanted to meet her, she's my idol. I've committed my whole life as a Huntress to her ideal-"

"Well I'm glad someone appreciates her memory" Slade sighed, turning back toward the group "We should keep moving, the best way to get ambushed is staying in one place for too long" he began walking toward the ruins, he recognized the sensation of being watched and knew it was the crow from before. Slade wondered why a lone crow would be watching him so intently for this test but chose to ignore it for now _I should ask Ozpin about this, he might be able to shed some light on the matter_ Suddenly a pack of Beowolves surrounded the group forcing them into combat.

"I was wondering when you would be showing up" Slade sighed, unsheathing his gauntlets blades.

"Guess we're gonna have to deal with this first then" Dusk's gauntlets changed, encasing his hands "Ready?" he asked looking to Hazel.

"Always" she smirked unsheathing her blade from her back, setting the blade ablaze.

"We'll take the front if you two cover the back" Willow called out removing her double-edged spear from her back, transforming it into a sniper rifle.

"Sound's good to me" Hazel agreed.

Slade charged forward, cutting through several Grimm with ease. Willow fired several rounds from her rifle as Slade danced through their ranks gracefully, removing their heads with each shot. Hazel leapt into the air above them swinging her blade through the air, launching fire toward her intended targets burning their bodies away as the flames dissipated. Dusk slammed his fists into each Beowulf, proceeding to beat them into the ground with his massive gauntlets. Several Grimm reached Willow, she changed her rifle into spear form as she spun upward cleaving their head's from their bodies. Turning toward the final Beowulf as it prepared to strike she attempted to block the attack with her weapon, only for the beast to drop instantly as a gunshot rang out through the forest. Willow turned to find Slade standing atop a corpse with his blade embedded in it's chest with his left hand and his right hand held his revolver in her direction with smoke seeping out from the barrel.

"Nice shot" she sighed in relief as she looked down to notice the precision of his shot "Clean shot, right through the head"

"I've had a lot of practice"

"I imagine you have, no one gets that good naturally" she smirked. Slade smiled lightly back at her.

"Nice to see Willow

"We should keep moving, we're close to the cliffside"

* * *

"And finally but most certainly not least we have our final team" Ozpin announced gesturing toward the screen "Slade Stroud, Hazel Conway, Dusk Forman, and Willow Griswald. The four of you retrieved the white knight pieces, from this day forward you will be known as Team SHDW (Shadow) led by..." Ozpin hesitated as he looked between the four of them "Slade Stroud" he finished with a small smile.

"Me?" Slade asked surprised.

"Congratulations, Mr. Stroud. You've earned it" Ozpin replied with a comforting smile.

"T-thank you, Professor. I promise I will do everything in my power to lead them well" he replied.

"I'm sure you will" Ozpin turned toward the crowd of students "That will conclude the team announcements for today. Your team leaders shall be receiving your room numbers for your accommodations for the year shortly, until then take this time to enjoy the rest of the day off. Tomorrow you're going to have to hit the books" he finished turning to leave the stage.

"Wow, I can't believe we all managed to get on a team together" Dusk said happily.

"I know! I thought for sure I was gonna be stuck without you guys for the next four years" Willow agreed in relief.

"Yeah, you know how much Willow hates new people" Hazel laughed.

"Hey!" Willow yelled feigning annoyance "I don't hate new people, new people hate me!"

"Mr. Stroud" Ozpin called grabbing his attention "Come speak to me in my office once you're done socializing with your team members" he passed the group, heading toward the entrance of the auditorium.

"What was that about?" Hazel asked curiously.

"Not quite sure, honestly" Slade answered "Originally I planned on speaking to Professor Ozpin after this ceremony anyway. I suppose that just makes this easier"

"Well you shouldn't keep him waiting if he wants to speak to you" Dusk pointed out.

"I imagine not" Slade sighed before quickly leaving.

"Dusk!" Willow snapped smacking him in the back of the head "You didn't need to make him leave so quickly! Now he might think we don't want him around" she chastised.

"I'm sure we have plenty of time to let Slade know he is welcome among his own team" Hazel laughed.

"That's not the point" Willow sighed.

* * *

"Slade has been hiding his abilities ever since Elise's death" Qrow reported with disappointment.

"So he didn't use his semblance at all during the exam?" Ozpin asked curiously.

"Not once" Qrow answered "I question whether or not he is even aware of his abilities. His semblance seemed out of control when he used it against Elise's captors"

"Almost as if he wasn't controlling it?" Ozpin asked.

"Exactly, his emotions seemed to be the catalyst that sparked his abilities as he fought"

"Slade did show his semblance off when he passed through the walls of my office here , hmm... was there anything else?" Ozpin asked.

"Yes, Slade was aware I was watching him"

"What?!" Ozpin almost yelled standing abruptly "How could he-?"

"Slade fired his weapon at me while I was in my animal form. I don't believe he was aware it was me, however I believe he's aware someone's eyes are on him"

Ozpin shook his head lightly, sitting back into his chair "I'm concerned about his connection to Salem that we discovered yesterday, hopefully he didn't experience anything too abnormal today" Ozpin sighed "Though I am impressed by his observational capabilities"

"Slade is quite impressively aware of his surroundings" Qrow agreed. The elevator opened behind Qrow allowing Slade to enter the room.

"Mr. Stroud... you arrived much quicker than I anticipated"

"I didn't have anything pressing keeping me with my team. I do however know I needed to speak to you about some things I don't fully understand"

"Truly?" Ozpin asked surprised "What were they?"

"They can wait, Professor. You asked me here for a reason I assume"

"I did" he sighed "I was hoping to ask you if you had seen anything like you had before with the woman you spoke of?"

"No and yes" Slade answered.

Ozpin's brow furrowed "Explain"

"I haven't seen anything of that woman since yesterday, however I did see something else entirely this morning just before the test and again just after awaking" he explained.

"What exactly did you see?" Qrow asked concerned.

"First thing this morning I entered the bathroom to prepare for the day and I began hearing voices" Slade answered becoming significantly uncomfortable with the conversation.

"What did you hear?" Ozpin asked curiously.

"I don't remember everything or recognize all of the voices I heard but it didn't make a lot of sense" he answered "Most of the things they said seemed unconnected excluding the mention of a woman"

"Was that all you heard?" Ozpin asked curiously.

"It was all I was able to understand. The voices continued to speak so loudly I couldn't differentiate what was being said clearly, my head started hurting so much I couldn't even stand" he explained "But yes that was the last thing of that instance... although..."

"Mr. Stroud?"

"Before I heard these voices I was washing my hands, they were completely covered in blood... I saw Elise's face... Malachite's, Mother's, Father's... I know it was her blood on my hands"

"It's not your fault, kid" Qrow sighed "Elise made her decision for you when you refused to kill her, what happened to your brother was unfortunate but he also made a choice to save you and your sister. Your parents are no different, they both stayed behind to ensure you were safe while destroying a threat to everyone" Qrow explained "You shouldn't blame yourself for what happened to them, there was nothing you could've done differently that would've changed what happened"

"Yet here I am... alive, while they're dead..."

"What about the other instance you spoke of? What did you see then?" Ozpin asked trying to refocus Slade's mind.

"Right... As I walked into the cafeteria for breakfast this morning, the room shifted into a hallway of this very school around me. Of course I was confused at first but I watched as four students walked toward me. I couldn't make out what they were saying but they looked happy, laughing together as friends... I assume they're a team here at Beacon but..."

"What did they look like?" Qrow asked curiously.

"They were all girls: The first one had dark red hair that looked almost black when out of the light and silver eyes with a red hood over her uniform, the second had white hair tied back in a ponytail and light blue eyes, the third had dark black hair that went down to her back with amber eyes and a black bow in her hair..." he stopped when he thought on the final girl from his vision "...The last one had long blonde hair and lilac eyes" he continued.

Qrow looked at Slade in surprise with the descriptions he gave out about the girls "Was that all you saw?" he asked.

"No... the room changed into the cafeteria at night with the walls broken down around me and fires burning outside and inside the school, there were dozens of Grimm and some type of soldiers running around outside but not fighting each other. The girl with black hair was on the floor with her bow removed to reveal her cat ears, marking her as a Faunus and a deep wound in her abdomen causing her to bleed all over the floor. There was another Faunus who stood over her in all black with a white mask on and blood red hair"

"Don't tell me she died" Ozpin sighed in disappointment.

"Couldn't tell from what I saw, the blonde girl from before came tearing through the room after the man and prepared to strike as her eyes seemed to blaze red only to have her right arm removed with his blade just as my vision faded.

"Slade... you're sure that's what you saw?" Ozpin asked concerned.

"Yes, Professor. I know I saw it... Am I going crazy?" Slade asked nervously.

"I don't believe so, I think you have a deeper connection with the woman you saw before than we originally thought"

"You know who she is don't you?" Slade asked.

"I do, unfortunately I won't be revealing anything I know about her to you at this time as I cannot be sure she cannot see what you're seeing. For now we're going to keep an eye on you and possibly figure something out with my trusted colleagues to discover the truth behind these visions" Ozpin explained.

"Thank you, Professor" he said turning toward the elevator "There was one more thing I wanted to ask before I leave" Slade stopped just in front of the elevator.

"What is it?"

"Why was there a crow following me throughout the forest today?" Slade asked raising an eyebrow toward him.

Ozpin chuckled lightly "Mr. Branwen over here has the ability to shapeshift into that of a crow when desired and I asked him to surveil you while you partook in the exam to ensure nothing happened as your connection with this woman raised some concerns. I asked him to stay in that form as to ensure he didn't get in your way" he explained, knowing lying to him would do no good.

"How? Is that his Semblance?"

"My Semblance is causing bad luck, it doesn't discriminate between who it affects and I can only increase the level of bad luck. My ability to shapeshift into a bird was given to me by Oz. His power is something much different than yours or mine, it's magic"

"Magic?" Slade asked in shock.

"Let's just say the reason I have my power is far different from your Semblance" he explained "One day soon I will tell you how I acquired my power and why no one else seems to have it"

Slade nodded in understanding "Alright then" he chuckled lightly "Sorry for almost taking your head off" he threw back toward Qrow as he entered the elevator.

"No hard feelings, kid. I would've done the same thing if I thought something was following me, keep this just between us though would you? I don't want everyone knowing about that"

"Your secret is safe with me" Slade laughed as the doors closed.

"You've gotta be shitting me, Oz" Qrow said as soon as he turned around to face him.

"I'm as surprised as you, Qrow"

"Slade just described Ruby and Yang with perfect clarity"

"I know-"

"He's never even met them!"

"I-"

"He said Yang gets her arm cut off-"

"Qrow!" Ozpin cut him off "I understand your frustration and confusion but I don't understand anything more about this than you do" Ozpin explained.

"I... I'm sorry I just-"

"I know, Qrow. You're understandably concerned, but you need to calm down"

"How would Slade even know anything about them?" Qrow asked.

"I have no understanding of this at all, it seems he not only has a deep connection to Salem but is somehow able to use this connection, or possibly even his Semblance allows him to see the future or possible futures"

"The more we seem to know about his Semblance the less it seems to make sense. Slade can pass through walls and seemingly control some type of telekinetic power and now he can see the future?" Qrow asked perplexed.

"Several Huntsmen have multiple semblances although they usually are more closely related such as the Schnee's genetic semblance has multiple uses though none of them quite as diverse as Slade's" Ozpin pointed out.

"It doesn't make this any less abnormal"

"Quite right" Ozpin sighed "We need to keep an eye on Slade's growth here as he progresses through his classes and trains with the other students"

"It's going to be a long four years" Qrow sighed.

"You've got that right" Ozpin agreed.

* * *

 **That's all for now guys, I hope you all like it. The next chapter will be coming soon and it's a bit of a long one. As with before I have all the names listed below from the new team with their associated colors to their names for anyone interested. Thank you all for reading!**

 **S: Slade Stroud (Slate)**

 **H: Hazel Conway (Hazel)**

 **D: Dusk Forman (Dusk)**

 **W: Willow Griswald (Wellington)**


	7. Visions In The Dark

**Here we have it, chapter seven! This is probably the longest chapter I've written in awhile, sorry if it drags on a bit. I've got most of the next chapter done as well so it shouldn't be too long before I get that out to you guys. Unfortunately with everything going on at work next weekend ( I work at a pub so St. Patrick's is the biggest weekend of the year for us) I will not be doing a lot of writing after this week and might take another week off just to relax from the huge undertaking it always is. Anyway I hope you like it.**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing!**

"Speech"

 _Thoughts_

* * *

 **Chapter Seven: Visions In The Dark**

Slade walked through the school hallway toward his team's room, upon reaching it he knocked once before opening the door to find his team already decorating the place with their own belongings.

"That didn't take long" Slade chuckled.

"Hey, Slade" Dusk greeted "How'd it go with the Headmaster?" he asked curiously.

"It proved... enlightening" he answered.

"We've already pretty much decided what part's of the room belongs to who" Hazel pointed out "That's where Willow decided you would be" she pointed to the empty corner of the room lacking decorations of any sort.

"Unless of course you'd prefer somewhere else-" Willow offered in an attempt to be considerate.

"It's fine, I'd sleep on the floor if needed" he smiled.

"Well that certainly won't be necessary. You have a perfectly good bed right there" Dusk laughed.

"Thank you" Slade sat upon the bed dropping his small bag of belongings next to him. Opening the bag he removed his uniform and a small weapon maintenance kit placing them both into the drawer next to him, reaching further into the bag he removed the final item placing a picture of him and his family onto the top then closing up the bag and tossing it under the bed.

"That's all you have?" Willow asked surprised.

"I travel light" he answered with a shrug. Slade stood up and removed his large coat and armor seamlessly, removing his gauntlets and holster with his revolver still secured within it, he placed them both underneath his bed stripping down into the unarmored parts of his pants and vest. Sitting down onto the bed he removed his boots and socks then proceeded to lay back into the bed prepared to sleep.

"Are you going to sleep already?" Hazel asked surprised.

"I'm done unpacking and you're all wrapping up your own so I don't need to help you finish. I figured I'd try and catch up on some sleep" he answered without opening his eyes, giving a small shrug.

The group looked between each other and shrugged "Alright then, goodnight Slade" Hazel offered.

"Goodnight, Dusk, Hazel and Willow" he replied turning over onto his side with his back facing him.

"Don't forget class starts early" Willow reminded the group.

"We won't be late" Slade answered back with a small chuckle "I'll make sure of it"

* * *

"Slade!" Slade opened his eye's to find himself in an empty corridor just like the one from the bunker where his parents had died, he looked around confused at having heard his mother's voice.

"Hello?" he called as he started walking down the massive corridor toward the door he had been stuck behind when they detonated the explosives.

"Slade!" his father's voice called shortly followed by his mother's.

Slade began rushing down the corridor but noticed quickly he wasn't getting any closer to the door than when he started as their voices began to increase in volume and the walls began to shake violently, the tremors continued to grow in strength causing the walls to crumble and break leaving Slade in an empty, black, silent void. Slade dropped onto his knees "I'm sorry!" he cried "I wasn't fast enough to save you" he continued looking up finding himself still alone "I...I..." he bang to sob uncontrollably. Suddenly he felt a presence nearby, the same presence he felt when he was in the bunker just before the darkness had come alive to attack them.

"Life is as empty without terror as without love. But though chaos can be beautiful... it cannot last" the woman's voice echoed as he felt her fingertips graze over his left shoulder. The woman guided her hand down his chest, stopping just above his heart "The heart begins in darkness... and so it shall end!" she shouted the last few words forcefully wrapping her hand around Slade's throat.

Slade's eye's shot open as he practically leapt out of bed, looking around he found himself back in his dorm at Beacon with his teammates sleeping even still. Slade relaxed with a small sigh "Damned nightmares" looking to the nearby clock he saw the time "8:20" he sighed "Class start's at 9:00" he approached his teammates to wake them up.

"Willow" he called lightly shaking her.

"No" she groaned "just a few more minutes"

"Dusk, Hazel, get up" he ordered loudly causing them both to shift slightly in bed.

"Time to get up already?" Hazel asked awakening.

"Get Dusk up, class start's in forty minutes"

"Alright, alright" she groaned getting up from her bed and shaking Dusk awake "C'mon man, I really don't want to have to hit you"

"I'm up" Dusk groaned sitting up tiredly.

"Willow-"

"Just a little longer!" she nearly yelled rolling away from him.

"Willow isn't easy to wake up, Slade" Dusk said through a yawn.

"If you'd like we can-"

Slade grabbed Willow by the shoulder and rolled her out of bed onto the floor "What the hell was that for!?" Willow yelled rolling over to face him.

"Good, you're awake" he smirked stepping over her, starting to get dressed himself.

"Yeah... thanks" she groaned picking herself up off the floor.

"Anytime" he chuckled attaching his gauntlets and holster.

"Don't push it"

"Class starts in forty minutes" Dusk told her as he began getting changed.

"Yeah, thank you I can read a clock"

"See you there" Slade said walking toward the door as he placed his coat on over his uniform.

"Woah, woah, woah, you're done already?" Hazel asked surprised.

"Yes" he answered before leaving "You'd better all be on time or I'll kick your asses" he called back as he walked down the hall.

"That was fast" Willow said staring in shock, Dusk quickly rushed to the door.

"Who's class are we going to?" he called down the hall.

"Goodwitch" Slade answer could be heard, though he was nowhere in sight.

"Hurry up, Dusk. We cannot be late on our first day" Willow called as she rushed into her own clothing.

* * *

"Welcome students" Glynda said with a small smile "While in my class you will be learning and practicing your individual fighting techniques and abilities within my oversight. When I say a match is over there is no disputing it, and there will be no maiming of other students when in the ring. This is a learning experience for everyone and the last thing we want is someone to get hurt because you can't control your impulses" she lectured.

"Well this class sounds fun" Willow smirked "I wonder who's gonna go first"

"That being said..." Glynda paused "...Do I have any volunteers who'd like to start off the year?"

"I would love to, Professor" a student called standing up with his hand raised.

"What was your name again?" she asked.

"Hunter Thombs, Professor" he answered. The man had slicked back green hair, blood red eyes and a deathly pale complexion, he wore dark black armor with a red under-glow lighting his armor that covered his body stopping only at his neck, it appeared to be lightweight armor.

"Come into the ring then, Mr. Thombs and we'll find you someone to practice with" she instructed.

"I already know who I want to fight" Hunter said leaping down into the ring as he turned back toward the crowd "I want to fight him" he pointed directly at Slade.

Slade's eyes narrowed suspiciously at the request _Who's this guy? How would he even know me?_ he wondered to himself. His teammates seemed to wonder the same thing staring in his direction confused.

"That's not exactly how this works Mr.-" Glynda began trying to explain.

"I accept" Slade stood up and leapt into the ring standing opposite him "If he wants to fight me so badly then let him, he'll learn soon enough the mistake he made" he smirked.

"That's what I like to hear" Hunter grinned maliciously.

"Alright then... get your weapons ready" Glynda instructed, Hunter removed a silver rod from his back with a black chain attached on the back end of it, the rod had three large black blades emerge from the tip forming a triple bladed scythe. The black chain attached at the back end reached up to the gauntlet holding it and lined across his armor keeping the whole thing together.

"That's a new one" Slade noted to himself as he crossed his arms in front of his chest _The chain appears to be the only thing holding his armor to his body... curious indeed_

"When you're both ready... begin" Glynda announced stepping back far enough away from them as to not be in the way.

Hunter charged forward dragging his scythe across the ground behind him, lifting his arm up toward Slade his scythe launched itself from the ground toward his chest. Slade, while mildly surprised by this easily sidestepped the weapon as it soared past him, the weapon swung around from behind at Slade with Hunter controlling the weapon with it's chain. Slade dodged once more as the weapon embedded itself into the ground between them.

"As good as you are, even you can't dodge this" The chains closed around his waist. Hunter grinned as he charged toward the trapped Slade picking up his weapon by it's handle as he closed the gap between them. Leaping into the air as he prepared to strike he noticed Slade's smirk, slicing directly through Slade left Hunter confused as he stared at him in bewilderment. Slade simply stepped out from the chains having used his semblance to pass through them as he did the strike just beforehand "I stand corrected" Hunter groaned in annoyance flipping his scythe through his hands expertly.

"You really shouldn't attacked so brazenly, Hunter. A plan of attack usually helps tremendously when facing a superior opponent" Slade lectured as he slowly paced around him, Hunter never even moved.

"I have a plan" he grinned "Attack" Hunter's scythe soared from his hand back around his legs to strike at Slade's knees forcing him to jump over them, twisting around quickly as he caught his scythe by the hilt, Hunter swung for Slade's chest. Slade removed his combat knife from it's sheathe using it to block the blades, the force of the strike pushed him through the air as he flipped backward onto one foot. Slade charged forward as Hunter swung his weapon down at him only to be blocked by his knife once more, he pushed the scythe backward as he spun pulling his leg back for a powerful kick to Hunter's abdomen only to find his boot making contact with the back end of the scythe. Slade twisted around fully as he struck with his blade clashing with the scythe as the both glared into each other's eyes.

"I've wanted to go head to head with you like this for quite some time now" Hunter chuckled.

"How exactly do you even know me?" Slade asked surprised "I don't recall ever meeting you before and I've certainly never heard of you before"

"Oh but I know plenty about you, I know all about those little visions you've been having and about what happened to your family" he grinned maliciously.

"How-"

"How do I know you're the reason your sister is dead? How do I know you keep seeing the one responsible for your parents death? How do I know about the hooded woman that was there all three times?" Hunter grinned tilting his head as he whispered just loud enough for Slade to hear.

"Three times?" Slade asked.

"You didn't know?" Hunter laughed quietly "Yeah, the woman in the hood from the cave your brother died in, and the one who escaped the bunker your parents died in is the same one who was responsible for the capture of your sister" Slade stared at the man in shock, his mind reeling from the information he just gave him "You're gonna be next, Slade!" he said a bit louder than before. Twisting around and kicking Slade in the chest, throwing him through the air, Slade was in such shock he barely even registered having been attacked, he never even attempted to recover from the strike as he rolled on the floor onto his stomach.

"C'mon, Stroud. Is that the best you've got? You put your entire family to shame! What would your brother think if he saw you today? Your Father?" Hunter yelled charging at him with his scythe poised for a killing blow.

"Enough!" Glynda yelled just as he attacked. The sound of metal clashing against metal rang out through the room.

The students looked toward Slade to find his arm up, having blocked the strike with his gauntlet. Standing up as Hunter continued to try and force the weapon past his arm.

"You need to learn when to shut up" Slade growled.

"Just what do you think you're gonna do about-"

Slade slammed his head into Hunter's knocking him back, followed shortly by his fist into his abdomen. Dropping his elbow into the back of Hunter's head pushed him into the ground, grabbing him by the shoulder he flipped him onto his front and punched him in the face.

"Don't... you... ever... talk... about... my... family... again!" Slade yelled between punches as Hunter just laughed through each strike like a madman. Slade stopped and delivered a powerful kick to his face, throwing Hunter across the room as he rolled to his knees.

"Stop!" Glynda yelled stepping between the two students "The match is over. Mr. Stroud as you can see you've dropped his aura down into the red" she explained pointing up to the screen behind her "When that happens in an supervised match, it means it's over" she continued.

"Keep that son of a bitch away from me" Slade said as he turned to leave.

"C'mon, Slade! I'm right here! Come back and fight me!" Hunter yelled after him.

"That's enough!" another student called from behind Hunter.

He was slightly taller than Hunter as well as a slightly darker complexion, his eyes were a bright yellow with the whites of his eyes were a dark red and a mask that covered his head and face leaving only his eyes visible to others. He wore a dark leather jacket with three silver spikes on each shoulder and spiked gloves with a pair of combat boots and matching black pants.

"You always ruin all the fun Cole" Hunter growled as Cole helped him off the ground.

"Shut. Up" he glared "You're incredibly annoying"

"You're lucky I don't send you to the headmaster for your behavior Young Man. You intentionally provoked Mr. Stroud with his family members he recently lost"

"Apologies, Professor Goodwitch" Cole bowed his head lightly "Hunter's always been a asshole" he smacked the man in question in the back of the head "Next time just let it be"

"Hey! Hey! I'm not the one that forced Slade to attack me like that, he did that of his own free will"

"Most people would" Cole sighed in annoyance.

"Mr. Larson would you make sure Mr. Thombs stays out of trouble and with his team for the rest of the day?" Glynda asked curiously.

"Of course" he bowed his head before yanking Hunter to the right in annoyance "Can't you go more than five minutes without causing me problems?"

"Where's the fun in that!?" he shouted as he exited the room.

Glynda sighed with a shake of her head "That'll be all for today, you're all dismissed" she announced.

Slade looked up to his teammates to find them staring back at him with a mix of shock and pity. Growling in annoyance, he quickly exited the classroom.

"What was all that about?" Dusk asked.

"That Hunter guy doesn't know when to shut his mouth is what happened" Willow answered.

"Slade's probably pretty pissed right now. I wonder what Hunter said to him down there, all I heard him was say something about his sister dying"

"Let's try and not bring it up too quickly, give him some time to calm down" Willow offered.

* * *

Slade sat steeping in anger over his previous match as Professor Port continued to rant on about his own stories as a Huntsmen.

"Are you alright?" Dusk asked concerned "That Hunter guy sounded like he was hitting home back there"

"He was" Slade growled.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Hazel asked.

Willow shook her head in annoyance "Guys-" she tried.

"No, I don't want to talk about it I want to forget about it" he answered never losing his tone.

"I'm going to need a volunteer for this next part" Port announced.

"Are you sure?" Dusk asked "Sometimes it helps to talk about things like this"

"If I was going to talk about it somewhere I wouldn't be doing it here-"

"Mr. Stroud!" Port called "You seem so interested in this class, why don't you come be my volunteer today?" Port said with a knowing look.

Slade sighed "Professor I would appreciate it if you called on somebody else for this. I'm not particularly in the mood for a fight right now-"

"Nonsense! It'll help you let off some steam, come on now don't keep the class waiting" Port interjected waving him down toward him. Slade groaned as he stood from his seat.

"Sorry" Willow whispered after him just loud enough for him to hear.

"If you would like you may change into your combat equipment-" Port attempted to offer gesturing toward the cage with an unknown Grimm locked inside it.

"I'm fine" Slade replied "Let's just get this over with"

"As you wish" Port approached the cage with his own weapon prepared to break open the lock on it. Slade suddenly saw an Ursa erupt from the cage toward him before the room shifted back to Port standing at the cage with his weapon held high "Defend yourself!" Port yelled breaking open the lock unleashing the Ursa caged inside as it charged for Slade.

 _How did I just see that happening already?_ Slade asked himself confused. Coming back to reality he noticed the Ursa was already upon him, in his shock he raised his hand up to block the strike only to find the Ursa had stopped. Looking in utter shock he found the Ursa was being held by some unknown force in the air before him choked at the throat. Looking between his own hand and the Grimm he noticed if he lowered his hand so too did the Grimm _That's interesting_ Slade continued moving his hand slowly to see how the Ursa was affected but his hold seemed to be loosening _I see... If my mind is focused or overwhelmed by positive emotions my ability to manipulate the Ursa dissipates. However, focusing or allowing my negative emotions to run rampant seems to increase my hold on the creature_ Slade assessed to himself with a small smile on his face.

"This has potential" he whispered to himself.

"Wow, looks like the Stroud was hiding something after all" Hunter called with a laugh.

Slade's anger returned upon hearing his voice and closed his hand into a fist as he attempted to reel in his rage, the Ursa's neck snapped and dropped to the floor with the action shocking everyone in the room including himself.

"Mr. Stroud... I must say that is certainly a very unique Semblance you have there. Take care you use it wisely, you must be cautious when wielding a power so unpredictable" Port warned having already been briefed on his unique and unknown ablilities. Slade looked down at his hands in confusion as the bell rang to dismiss class.

"How did I even do that?" Slade asked barely above a whisper.

"That will be all for today students, go enjoy your lunches"

* * *

Willow, Dusk and Hazel sat in the cafeteria looking around unable to find Slade "Lunch is almost over and he's nowhere to be seen" Dusk pointed out.

"Do you think he ditched or something?" Hazel asked concerned.

"Slade looks like he had a pretty bad day, and his life before Beacon didn't sound much easier" Willow pointed out.

"What do you mean?" Dusk asked confused.

"Slade didn't really seem like he wanted to talk about his family and when Hunter said something to him about it he was enraged. Hunter seemed to say something to him while they were clashing that just shook him to his core, he didn't even fight back when he threw him through the air" Willow explained.

"Yeah, not to mention it looked like that anger had something to do with him killing the Ursa in class today. The minute Hunter spoke, Slade was pissed and the Ursa died seconds later... and yet he looked confused" Hazel added.

"Now that you mention it, it does sound like Slade was getting angry very easily today" Dusk admitted.

"We should go find him" Willow said standing up from the table.

"Where would we even look?" Dusk asked.

"We don't have to look" Hazel said holding up her scroll and showing it to Dusk "His scroll and ours are connected since we're on a team now. We can obviously see he's sitting in our dorm room" she explained.

"Let's go" Willow led them out of the room and through the hallways back to their dorm room, the group stopped upon seeing Slade inside sitting on his bed with his revolver in hand, staring down at it solemnly.

"Do you think we should-" Dusk began.

"I'll talk to him" Willow said with finality and entered the room.

"Guess we'll... just be here then" Hazel sighed leaning against the doorway opposite Slade.

Willow entered and started silently fidgeting with her own equipment, several moments passed before she spoke "So dead sister huh?" she asked without turning to face him "Yeah that can be annoying"

"Not exactly the word I would use but yes... annoying works" he chuckled darkly.

"That guy you fought earlier... he said your brother and your dad-"

"Both dead" Slade sighed "My brother Malachite was killed when a cave collapsed on him, he saved my sister and I in the process and my father died in an explosion to stop a dark summoning ritual"

"Still got a mom though?" Willow asked finally turning to look at him.

"Killed in the same explosion as my father"

"A Best friend?" Willow asked.

"My sister was my best friend... and I stabbed her through the heart" he never looked up from his weapon.

"You stabbed her?" Willow asked confused.

"Elise told me to kill her so the bandits that were after her wouldn't get what they wanted. I refused so she leapt onto my gauntlet's blade while I was fighting the bandits" he explained "That was the day the last of my family died... leaving me alone in this world"

"You're not alone" Willow said with a small smile as she placed her arm onto his shoulder.

Slade looked up with the smallest ghost of a smile gracing his lips for a brief moment "I don't want you to die too, you and Hazel, Dusk... I don't want you to get hurt because of me"

"We won't" Willow claimed confidently "I promise you we'll be fine"

"Don't make promises you can't keep" Slade warned.

"Ms. Griswald" Ozpin's voice called from the door "Mind if he and I have a moment alone?"

"Slade didn't do anything-" she began to protest.

"I'm not here because he's in any trouble. I'm here to help" Ozpin assured.

"Oh... sorry" she apologized before quickly leaving the room trying to hide her embarrassment.

Ozpin chuckled before sitting down next to him, he waited patiently for his teammates to be far enough away to not hear them "Slade"

"I'm sorry" Slade said looking up at him.

"I know that boy shouldn't have done what he did but you need to get better control over your emotions. You could seriously hurt or even kill someone like you did to that Ursa in Port's class earlier today"

"I know... I just... haven't had a very good day today"

"Besides what I already know?" Ozpin asked curiously.

"I... I had a dream"

"What kind of dream?"

"About that bunker where my parents died, but it's corridor went on forever. They were both calling but I couldn't find them. The room broke away into a black void and I heard that damn voice again" Slade punched the nightstand next to him cracking it just like the bathroom countertop "Great" he sighed with a small shake of his head.

"Did anything else happen in that dream?"

"She grabbed me by the throat and said some more confusing garbage I couldn't understand. She's always speaking in riddles" he crossed his arms in annoyance.

"You've been through a lot in your short time, Slade. It's understandable for you to have these kinds of dreams or nightmares" Ozpin explained.

"I know, but... everything I've lost... I meditate and study but it still hurts" Slade looked up at Ozpin "Shouldn't my training make this better?"

"That's not how that works, kid. Training can make you feel better about yourself, but drowning yourself in studies and meditations to take your mind off grief won't help you. You need to let yourself grieve" Qrow explained leaning against the doorway "Trust me, I know how much this hurts first hand" he sighed.

"Why'd she have to die?" Slade asked Qrow, he knew exactly who he was talking about "Why couldn't I save her?"

"I don't know, kid. Sometimes bad things happen to good people and there's nothing we can do about it. We can however do something about what we do going forward"

"Qrow's right, Slade. Huntsmen go through terrible loss everyday, but that can't stop you from being who you are"

"I know" Slade sighed "Huntsmen must be prepared to think calmly, even in the most intense situations. They must temper their intuition with wisdom"

"Elise told you that didn't she?" Qrow asked with a small smile.

"Yes, among other things" he chuckled "She was a very good teacher-" Slade stopped when he heard a loud alarm blaring in his ears, he placed his hands over them quickly to block out the sound, only to find it was ineffective.

 _You filth_ an angry male voice growled.

"Slade? Are you alright?" Qrow asked as Slade dropped onto his knees.

 _You have no idea what you've unleashed, child_ the voice continued as the alarm got louder.

"Slade!" Ozpin called louder, trying to gain his attention.

 _There's no place on this planet where you can hide from my wrath_ it continued.

 _I suggest you prepare yourself to face a god, and you may want to consider what that means_ The woman from the stage spoke yet again as the alarm stopped.

"Slade!" Qrow's voice snapped him from his trance.

"What happened?" Slade asked confused "Where am I?"

"Relax" Ozpin said soothingly with his hands on his shoulders "You're in your dorm room, just take a breath"

"Why... why does this keep happening to me?" Slade asked confused "Why can I see and hear things that aren't there, or haven't happened yet?"

"How do you know it's something that hasn't happened yet?" Qrow asked surprised.

"Port's class today, I saw the Ursa tear it's way toward me to attack before Port even opened the cage to release the creature" he explained.

"You saw a glimpse into the future by mere seconds?" Ozpin asked "Imagine how far off the rest of what you've seen could be"

"How do we know some of the things he's seen haven't already happened?" Qrow pointed out.

"We don't know anything" Ozpin sighed.

"Well I'm really glad we cleared that up" Slade sighed.

"We're going to get to the bottom of this, Slade. I promise" Ozpin said reassuringly "For now you should just focus on your school work until we figure something out"

"There's... something else" Slade sighed.

"What is it?" Qrow asked not sure he wanted to know at this point.

"Hunter... the student I fought today in Goodwitch's class. He knew about what happened to my family... in grave detail"

"The incidents surrounding your family members weren't released beyond the surface details. No one but the three of us and Glynda should know about that-"

"He did... he knew how they died and that there was a hooded figure at all of their deaths"

"All of them? Even Elise?" Ozpin asked "You never told us about her being behind that-"

"I didn't know she was behind Elise's kidnapping" Slade interjected "But he did"

Ozpin sat in silence as he thought about the implications "You said the woman from the bunker that appeared to you and your parents pointed to students in the crowd during my address of your year as if they were her servants, correct?" he asked.

"Yeah... you don't think-"

"I do, but unfortunately I have no proof on the matter so I cannot take action"

"Let me handle that. I'll find out if there's something Hunter and his team are hiding" Qrow offered.

"Do it, in the meantime, Slade, just focus on your studies and becoming the best Huntsman you can be. If we find anything out I promise you'll be the first to know"

Slade grabbed Ozpin into a small hug, surprising the older man"Thank you, Professor" he slowly returned the hug with a small smile.

"I promise we'll get to the bottom of this. Qrow can help teach you to control your Semblance for now and figure out the extent of it's power"

"You can count on me, kid" Qrow promised "We'll get that Semblance of yours under control before you know it"

* * *

 **(Four Years Later)**

Slade sat in boredom as Professor Oobleck's lecture droned on and on, he wasn't listening at this point as he had been much more focused on his own daydreams. In the past three years he had become a much more open person thanks to his friends, he wasn't really a people person even with his new found social skills, his only friends were his own teammates, Qrow and Professor Ozpin. Everyone else at the school was just a stranger with a familiar face or an enemy when it came to people like Hunter. As the years progressed Hunter became even more of a nuisance to all of the classmates instead of just Slade but Hunter seemed to have it out for Slade and his team for some reason or another. Cole Larson, his teammate was always pulling Hunter away from potential fights he'd start chastising him for being a moron before continuing on like nothing ever happened. Their other teammates, Ebony Harris and Ray Vicari, were always so confused by their actions, apologizing in their place for their behavior.

Regardless of that he was excited to finally graduate so he could finally take the licensing exam and become a full fledged Huntsman, he was only a few weeks away from the eagerly awaited day. Slade's abilities in combat and with his Semblance had grown exponentially in the past few years allowing him to go toe to toe with veteran Huntsmen like Qrow and Professor Goodwitch with relative ease despite several months of setbacks on failing to uncover anything about his Semblance. Slade's teammates hadn't made quite as large of strides but they were far more formidable than they had been previously. Slade's visions seemed to lessen the stronger he had become, he was concerned about the reasoning behind the lack of visions but eventually grew to become more comfortable without them. Throughout their time at Beacon, Ozpin had taken a particular interest in his team. Allowing them to get out of trouble for things most would be punished for or even expelled. Slade had always wondered if him being on the team had any impact on his decisions to ignore their rule breaking or if he was like that with most students.

"Mr. Stroud!" Oobleck's voice called urgently as he suddenly appeared in front of him leaning down to look him in the eye.

"Yes, Professor?" Slade asked raising his head out of his hand.

"Care to explain why you're dosing off in my class when there's so much more important things to learn?" Oobleck asked narrowing his eyes.

"Apologies, Professor. I was thinking about the upcoming final for our graduation"

"Ah, excellent work, Mr. Stroud. Even when not paying attention you're planning for your next adventure, why I'm sure Professor Port would be proud" he joked standing up straight with a slight nod before taking another sip from his mug "However as much as I am excited to be calling many of you in this class fellow Huntsmen in the coming weeks I would rather you focus on your classes until you get there. After all, graduation is only the first step. There's so much to learn in this world that you cannot possibly know it all by graduation day"

"Of course, Professor" Slade smirked as the bell rang.

"Ah, class dismissed" Oobleck announced quickly before zipping behind his desk.

"Nice save" Willow laughed as they exited the classroom together.

"I was fully expecting to be stuck after class because of him lecturing" Dusk said in agreement "Glad we didn't have to go through that again"

"I said I was sorry didn't I?" Hazel asked feigning offense causing the group to laugh.

"Attention: Team SHDW report to Professor Ozpin's office immediately. Your final has been selected" Goodwitch's voice spoke over the intercom.

"Finally!" Willow shouted in excitement "Once we ace this mission we can finally be considered graduates. We won't ever have to worry about another assignment ever again"

"That is until we get out first assignment as official Huntsmen" Slade chuckled "Oobleck was right, the learning never stops after graduation"

"C'mon let's go, I want to know what mission we're getting today" Hazel smiled in excitement.

The team quickly made their way to the elevator to Ozpin's office, they rode up in relative silence until the reached the room. The doors opened to reveal Ozpin, General Ironwood, Leonardo Lionheart, Qrow Branwen, and Glynda Goodwitch.

"Well... just invite everyone" Slade said in a mildly joking manner.

"Unfortunately the headmaster of Shade Academy was unable to make it here today due to personal matters which she had to attend" Ozpin explained.

"Why're the headmasters of Haven and Atlas Academy here anyway?" Willow asked curiously.

"Because we have something very important to tell you" Ironwood answered "Ozpin has told us he wished to include you in this meeting"

"Meeting?" Dusk asked confused "I thought we were here to find out what our mission is to graduate"

"You are, of course it's something far more important than that" Leonardo explained.

"Let's get on with this then, what's the mission?" Hazel asked curiously.

"Slade... unfortunately we never learned anything about the students we'd been watching for the past few years. They never did anything incriminating in anyway, they've only been a nuisance so far but they've just recently disappeared from the school" Ozpin explained.

"What team?" Willow asked confused as she turned to Slade.

"Hunter's" Slade answered with a slight growl.

"They left sometime yesterday morning. I tracked them down to an area just outside Mountain Glenn, it's completely infested with Grimm and yet they never once encountered any on their journey there. I reported back to Ozpin and he instructed me to return as quick as I could, I only arrived moments ago" Qrow explained.

"Your mission is to track them down there and find out what they're doing, no matter what the case may be I want you to capture them and bring them back here for questioning" Ozpin explained.

"That still doesn't answer why the other headmasters are here" Willow pointed out.

"We're here because we believe their disappearance to be connected with an old enemy of ours, one that would restart a war between the kingdoms if she could" Ironwood answered.

"She?" Slade asked his eyes expanding out of shock.

"Yes, Slade. It's exactly who you think it is" Ozpin sighed "The four headmasters of the Huntsmen academies are the only ones who know about this outside of people like Glynda and Qrow... now you're all be included within my inner circle. You've all more than earned it over the past three years"

"How soon should we be leaving?" Slade asked.

"As soon as possible, we don't want them to escape our scrutiny. They've caused quite some trouble the past four years and now they've gone somewhere completely surrounded by Grimm and never had an issue being attacked... something doesn't add up there and I want to know what it is"

"We'll get it done, Professor. I can promise you that" Slade assured him with a small smirk.

"This doesn't make much sense" Hazel groaned "Hunter's an asshole, sure. But Cole never seemed like the type to do anything wrong, he's always been the one dragging Hunter away from fights he started. Ray and Ebony were always kind, they couldn't have anything to do with this"

"I mostly agree" Ozpin sighed "Ray and Ebony going along with this is concerning but I don't believe they're involved with what's going on with Mr. Thombs and Mr. Larson, they're clearly together and something about them isn't right"

"Yet they've never done anything to prove themselves a danger?" Dusk asked.

"Hunter was the only one we suspected and Cole's close association with him from before his time at Beacon is concerning"

"We're not going to learn anything standing around here" Willow nodded toward Slade.

"Agreed, we'll head out immediately" Slade turned to leave with the rest of his team following behind him.

"Students" Leonardo called "Please, do be careful out there. I would hate for something to happen to you all" he warned with genuine concern.

"Don't worry about them, Leo" Qrow smiled confidently "If anyone has this in hand it'll be them. I'll be heading out after you once I've checked in with my family, don't get too far ahead of me"

"Isn't the point of this mission not to be shadowing a Huntsman?" Willow asked.

"You're not shadowing me, I'm shadowing you. Every team had a Huntsman shadowing them, they just didn't know it"

* * *

Team SHDW sat in the bullhead as it soared over the forest below them toward Mountain Glenn, Hazel looked over to Slade as he fidgeted with his weapons to ensure they were ready for when he needed them.

"Who was Professor Ozpin talking about, Slade? You seem to know more about this woman they were talking about" she asked.

"When I was fifteen, my parents were called to Ozpin's office. This was only two years after my brother's death so they wouldn't let me leave their sight, that's why they increased the amount of training I received over that time so I could accompany them on their missions without being in danger. Once we arrived he told them Huntsmen were disappearing around the town of Foxworth, we found a bunker there where we believed the Huntsmen had been disappearing so we investigated it only to find something so terrifying it's indescribable using words alone... the entire facility was filled with darkness... hatred... cold rage. We continued deeper inside until we found someone there, she was covered by a hood keeping her identity a mystery to us but she escaped in the ensuing chaos once we began trying apprehend her"

"What do you mean?" Hazel asked.

"There was a deafening screech or roar that tore through the air as the very shadows themselves began taking shape and attacking us while she escaped, it seemed to be coming from a fountain of darkness. We managed to close it stopping the spread and causing the darkness around us to shrink away from us... but then she appeared. I don't know her name but an almost transparent image of a woman's face appeared before us and kept shouting at us to give up or accept our deaths, even went so far as to call us an infection. That's when my parents decided to detonate explosives in the chamber while we escaped so we could seal that evil away, unfortunately they didn't escape with us and died in that facility. We did however succeed in stalling any plans the woman had going forward... according to Ozpin they were performing a ritual based on sacrifices of Huntsmen to summon or create a very powerful Grimm" Slade stopped as he gathered his thoughts.

"What is it?" Willow asked nervously.

"The first day at Beacon when I had the incident during Ozpin's speech in the auditorium... it was because I saw her standing up on the stage where Ozpin had been and she was speaking to some of the students in the crowd, I assume Hunter and his team were the ones she was talking about. Then I had such an extreme pain in my head that I dropped onto my knees, I had several more of these visions but never saw her again I only heard her voice... not long afterward I figured out I was seeing things in the past that had already happened or the future of things that hadn't happened yet... sometimes I saw attacks from Grimm or my opponents in battle just before they happened so it clearly ranged small increments of time to much more vast increments" he explained.

"You can see the future?" Dusk asked in awe.

"Not exactly, I can see things that haven't happened yet but not necessarily something I will experience myself or even happen at all... but sometimes they're things that have already happened and could be completely unrelated" he answered.

"That's pretty cool" Hazel smirked "Must be why you always win your fights" she laughed.

"Not with our class it wasn't" Slade laughed "Everyone else in our year is garbage when it comes to fighting another Huntsmen"

"Did you use that during the Vytal Festival Tournament?" Dusk asked curiously.

"Not intentionally but yes" Slade chuckled "Though honestly I didn't need any help with our fights until the finals anyway"

"You mean your fight with Cole don't you?" Willow asked somewhat nervously "That guy is still pretty scary if you ask me"

"You saw what he could do when he wasn't trying to kill someone and couldn't use a Semblance. Imagine what he'll be like when he's not holding back" Slade replied "We all need to be careful not to get into a fight with them before Qrow shows up to help out. Cole and Hunter are formidable enough but if Ray and Ebony are helping we'll be fighting a full team of trained Huntsmen"

"Don't worry about us, Slade. We've got this" Hazel placed her hand on his shoulder smiling confidently "We can't lose when we have each other"

"We're approaching the landing zone!" the pilot called back as the sides of the bullhead opened for them to exit once they descended.

"Get ready for action people" Slade ordered standing up from his seat, once the bullhead arrived just outside the ruined city of Mountain Glenn they all effortlessly dropped out of the vehicle which quickly ascended away from them as they readied their weapons.

"Where do we start?" Dusk asked as his gauntlets began encasing his hands.

"Let's start our search on the south side where Qrow last sighted them and work our way from there, once we've picked up their trail we can catch up to them" Slade answered as he placed his hood and mask on over his face.

"Sounds like a plan to me" Willow smirked as she readied her rifle.

"Do we have a plan for when we find them?" Hazel asked.

"Watch until we find something incriminating and then we set a trap for them. Once we've engaged them it will be difficult to take them alive as they're a well coordinated team" Slade answered as he led the way.

"Fun" Hazel sighed.

"Don't worry, Hazel. I've got you covered" Willow elbowed her as she gestured to her rifle.

"I'm not sure on whether or not that should comfort me or scare me" Hazel laughed.

"Let's stay focused, keep the chatter to a minimum until we find them. Last thing we want is for them to be onto us before we're prepared" Slade ordered.

They continued through the forest in silence until they caught a glimpse of a camp through the bushes. Slade dropped down onto one knee holding up his fist, signaling them to stop.

"Willow, back up and find a vantage point over the camp before we get closer. Dusk, take the right flank and don't move until I give the word. Hazel, I want you taking the left side covering Dusk if it comes down to a fight. Willow will have our backs covered while I head up the middle, do not attack without my order, no matter what happens. Understood?" he asked.

"Understood" Dusk replied with a nod.

"Yeah, let's get this done so we can go home" she smirked.

"I've got a good view over the camp. Looks like they're still there, I've got eyes on Hunter and Cole" Willow reported.

"Cole?" Dusk asked "That's their team leader right?"

"Yeah, Team CHRE (Ochre)" Slade answered.

"Doesn't Cole not have a Semblance?" Hazel asked as Slade got closer.

"Yeah, like I said on the Bullhead no one has ever seen him use one and he doesn't seem to like to talk about it when asked" Slade explained.

"Right... he was the one that fought everyone with his fists only instead of his launcher for some reason. Cole barely even lifted a finger when fighting other students during the tournament" Dusk recalled.

"He's the toughest opponent I've ever faced among our classmates. At least the others of his team have a Semblance to hide behind, he's just tough"

"What're their Semblances again?" Dusk asked.

"Hunter's able to absorb damage before expelling it back out twice as strong and using the power from the attacks he absorbs to heal himself. Cole doesn't have one we're aware of and Ray can condense the air around him to use as a weapon. Ebony can generate lightning from her hands to use for attacks or wear it almost like armor to defend herself instead"

"Looks to me like there's only the two of them in the camp right now" Willow reported "We could take those two down if you want and watch the other two-"

"Taking action against any of them will put the others on alert, we cannot-" Slade stopped as he watched the camp more closely.

"Slade? Is something wrong?" Willow asked.

"You said you saw Hunter in the camp didn't you?" Slade asked as he scanned over the area.

"I'll look again" Willow answered looking through her scope to see Cole stand up, turn around and look her right in the eye "Guys" she said with fear in her voice "Cole is looking right at me and I don't see Hunter anywhere"

"How could he-" Slade stopped as he felt a presence behind him. Suddenly he could be seen soaring through the air out of the tree line and into the camp with Cole behind him. Hunter's scythe came crashing into the ground from Slade's previous position through the brush embedding into the earth right in front of him.

"Slade!" Willow called concerned.

"They sent you to capture us huh?" Hunter's voice laughed from the shadows of the trees as he slowly emerged from them "How pathetic"

"Well this is what happens when you conspire with the enemy" Slade replied keeping his eyes on the two of them.

"Perhaps you should've thought this through more thoroughly before attacking us" Cole chuckled "You aren't prepared to face opponents as powerful as us, even with your friends hiding in the trees"

"We'll see about that-" Slade was cut off as Cole's fist passed right through his chest.

"Inferior men cannot hope to stand against superior opponents no matter what the situation" he removed his fist from Slade's chest allowing his body to fall to the ground.

"Eh, Cole?" Hunter asked.

'What is it now, Hunter" he asked annoyed as he stepped over Slade's body.

"That didn't look like he even got hit by your attack, shouldn't there have been more blood?" he asked confused.

"What?" Cole asked in surprise as he turned around to find Slade's corpse had disappeared "You idiot! You couldn't have told me-" he stopped as Slade's gauntlet blade pierced his heart.

"You talk awfully big for someone who didn't even notice he couldn't feel anything when you attacked me with your hands. Although I imagine that's what happens when you use your Semblance isn't it big guy?" Slade asked with a smirk underneath his mask.

"How could you possibly even know about my semblance? I never even-"

"You try to hide your semblance usage with your clothes but failed, I noticed on several different occasions you were able to repel attacks without so much as a scratch on you with only your fist. Of course that's not possible without some outside force acting on it, I theorized you were somehow able to harden your skin and clothing or something relatively similar which meant when you attacked me you would've had it activated, likely unable to feel any sensation in your arm at the time. Thank you for proving my theory right" Slade removed his blade from Cole allowing him to fall to the ground dropping onto his stomach.

"C'mon man, all that big talk and the guy takes you out that easily?" Hunter asked "Man and I thought he was pathetic"

"You're next, I only need one of you alive-" Slade began but was interrupted as he was kicked in the abdomen throwing him back into a nearby tree, splintering it as he crashed through the opposite side doing the same with several more until he finally stopped against a half destroyed tree.

Cole was standing with no visible damage with the exception of his clothes torn by Slade's blade "How in the world is he still standing?" Slade asked as he got himself back up from the ground "I couldn't have missed his heart could I?" he wondered groaning in pain.

"You were acting so confident a minute ago Stroud what happened?" Hunter asked mockingly.

"Slade!" Hazel and Dusk rushed to his side "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, I told you not to come out without my say so-"

"It's not like they were doing a good job of hiding anyway we already know about your sniper friend anyway" Hunter laughed.

"Let's get serious now" Cole said removing his torn jacket and tossing it aside, he placed his hand onto the ground summoning four bodies from the ground, they stood identically next to each other in black robes and differently colored masks going blue, red, white, and yellow from left to right.

"What're those supposed to be?" Slade wondered.

The man standing with the blue mask dropped to the ground immediately with a hole where his heart should be "Looks like I'm going to only have three helpers this time" Cole sighed "Not that I will need them for brats like you"

"What's happening?" Hazel asked "how did that guy just die and yet Cole is perfectly fine even after you put a hole in his chest?"

"I think I understand" Slade sighed.

"Hey!" Hunter yelled "Why'd that one just die? I thought they were supposed to help us!" he shouted annoyed.

"Unfortunately that's what happens when I have to use them" Cole answered with a growl.

"The hole in the dead one looks identical to what should've been on Cole but he's undamaged, save for his clothes" Slade explained "I assume he's controlling those bodies somehow and every time he takes fatal damage he passes it on to one of the bodies so he doesn't die"

"Impressive" Cole said in surprise "You already figured out my ability, unfortunately for you it won't be enough to defeat me"

"Just how exactly can you have a Semblance to harden your skin and another to summon corpses to save you from death?" Slade asked.

"Call it a gift from my master. She's quite powerful when it comes to manipulating the darkness" he chuckled.

"The usual?" Hunter asked.

"Yeah, do your thing" Cole answered.

Hunter licked his lips hungrily before charging Slade and swinging for his throat "Get back" Slade ordered as his gauntlet blades shot out deflecting the blades from his scythe. Stepping backward away from Hunter he ducked under a strike as Hunter spun around. Hunter twisted the weapon in his hand and swung it back the way it came toward Slade only for it to be deflected once more, he then swung low only for the weapon to be deflected by a gunshot from Willow's sniper.

Slade took this opportunity to leap back away from him only to be followed by Hunter completely undeterred by her interference. Slade blocked both strikes in the air before making contact with the ground and leaping back into the air to avoid Hunter slamming his scythe down where he stood then leaping back after him. Slade continued to block the strikes as he soared through the air but noticed the body with the white mask fly up behind Hunter with black wings on his back that looked similar to that of a Grimm.

"Looks like it's my time to duck out!" Hunter kicked at Slade's face only to smash into his gauntlet then pushed off back toward the ground throwing Slade higher into the air. The very air around them suddenly felt thinner as if it was sucked away from him toward the masked assailant, the air was then launched back toward him like a canon from above crashing into him and the ground as he was landing onto destroying all the trees in the area and knocking the leaves from dozens more surrounding it with the blast radius of the attack.

"Slade!" Dusk yelled.

"Dusk, careful!" Hazel yelled as they were pushed back by the aftershocks of the attack.

"Now for you two" Cole said turning toward them, the yellow masked man held up both of his hands as lightning began to form around them.

 _If they're hit by that directly they're done!_ Willow realized "Dusk, Hazel, get out of there!" she yelled as she prepared to fire at the masked man.

The lightning blast was launched toward them just as she fired the bullet for his head, the mask shattered but the man was completely unfazed by the attack. Just as the lightning reached them, Slade appeared from the ground holding his hands up in front of him he stopped the attack without even touching the lightning redirecting it back at Cole only for it to be absorbed by the masked man as his mask fell to the ground.

"Slade, are you alright?" Willow asked.

"Yeah" he answered "We need to be very careful with this fight, if one of you can get away long enough to call for help, do it" Slade ordered.

"I'm impressed" Hunter said in a serious tone as he walked over to Cole "You're the first one to survive that attack so far, Slade... Stroud" he drew out his name with a grin "I'm going to enjoy this more than I thought I would"

"How're we even supposed to keep up with these guys?" Dusk asked "It's five on four and they can do that much damage in a single attack, we don't stand a chance. What happens when the rest of the team shows up-"

"They won't be coming" Slade answered.

"What?" Dusk asked confused.

"He's right, look" Hazel pointed to the man with the broken mask only to find it was a woman "That's Ebony right there, if she's like that it can only mean she's been killed" she explained.

"How could you kill your own teammates and resurrect them to fight for you?" Slade asked as his anger surfaced.

"Quite easily" Cole chuckled "Ray and Ebony weren't part of this to begin with. They outlived their purpose to us" he explained.

"You son of-"

The red mask suddenly launched a massive blast of fire straight for the group "Hazel!" Slade yelled.

"I've got it!" she unsheathed her blade and placed it up in front of her absorbing the fire into the blade and redirecting the attack with it causing the massive ball of flame to implode. Slade leapt up out of the smoke for visibility only to find a shadow coming toward him from behind as he turned to face his attacker he blocked Hunter's scythe once more. Hunter laughed as he poised his weapon for another strike as Slade descended blocking the strike that pushed him toward the ground at an accelerated speed. Flipping backward he caught himself and pushed himself backward away from the scythe embedding into the ground in front of him as Hunter twisted around using the hilt as leverage and kicked for his head only to miss as he slid away from the strike. Slade easily blocked two more strikes from the scythe as he backed away from his attacker, jumping onto the blades and pushing off them to escape his assault, much to Hunter's clear annoyance as he growled in frustration.

"Dusk, Willow, you guys alright!" Hazel asked putting her back to a tree.

"Yeah" came Willow's muffled reply through her sleeve as she covered her face from the smoke.

"It's all good here" Dusk answered brushing the embers from his shoulder.

Slade and Hunter ascended a nearby tree with the momentum from each attack pushing him further upward until they reached the top, Slade clashed his blades against Hunter's as they slid back downward landing opposite each other, each of them sliding to a stop.

"You're pretty good" Hunter complimented him "I wasn't expecting this much of a challenge in killing you" he admitted "I suppose you didn't spend all that time between classes being a complete moron like the rest of those weaklings"

"Unlike some people in our year, I focused on improving my skills. Experience has been a better teacher than any of those classes could've been" Slade replied remaining in his current position, ready for another attack.

Dusk, Hazel and Willow all converged on Slade "Are you alright?" Dusk asked.

"I'm fine" he answered quickly still panting from his struggle to keep up with Hunter's sheer speed "This battle is going to be tough, I can't get away from Hunter long enough to attack Cole and the resurrected dead"

"Yeah, it's a real problem" Hazel sighed.

"So you're able to use the Semblances of the bodies you resurrect is that it?" Slade asked Cole.

"Very perceptive of you, that's exactly right" he answered.

"For someone as smart as you are, you're really bad at keeping those you care about safe" Hunter taunted "I mean, you stabbed your own sister"

"Don't talk about Slade like that!" Dusk yelled.

"Dusk!" Slade said sternly "Stand down"

"Why would I stop?" Hunter asked "Maybe if he was better at keeping his friends safe you wouldn't all die here today"

"That's it!" Dusk yelled as he charged Hunter.

"Dusk!" Hazel called after him.

Hunter grinned, preparing to strike Dusk in a fatal spot as he got closer. Just as he got in range he swung only to miss by merely inches as Dusk stopped suddenly by Slade using his Semblance to keep him in place, Hunter shrugged then leapt into the air toward Dusk swinging his scythe down to kill Dusk. Dusk closed his eyes anticipating the blow only to hear the clashing of metal against metal instead. Slade was above him with his gauntlets protecting him. Hunter twisted around kicking Slade in the abdomen, throwing him backward as he gave chase. Slade leapt back away from the next swing after rolling to his feet then blocking the second and ducking under a third painfully as his abdomen hadn't yet fully recovered from Cole's attack.

"You idiot you can't just go off halfcocked like that, you'll get yourself killed" Hazel groaned.

"Sorry" Dusk apologized looking back toward them.

Hazel and Willow wore shocked expressions causing Dusk to whip his head back around to see Cole standing in front of him. Dusk quickly pulled his fist back with all of his might to strike Cole only for it to be blocked as Cole slid back slightly from the attack. Cole leapt up kicking Dusk in the face, throwing him back several feet before rushing toward him and twisting around violently to kick him through the nearby tree.

"Dusk!" Willow called as she aimed for Cole, ready to fire her weapon.

Slade rushed away from Hunter only barely managing to reach the top of the branch before flipping over the strike aimed for his abdomen. Slade slid back away from another strike then flipped backward using his right hand to propel himself off the ground further back as he flipped. Leaping backward away from a strike he went over the edge of the tree, as he soared through the air he noticed the red masked man flying toward him with identical wings to the white masked man firing a fireball toward him. Slade flipped around the fireball and continued to dodge several more as he landed on the opposite tree and a final one smashed into the tree splintering it in the process. Leaping out of the smoke as he ascended the tree he found Ebony to be waiting for him at the top using a very thin line of lightning to cut the top of the tree off. Slade managed to avoid it by flipping and handspringing himself around the branches before dropping off the edge, flipping upright he found the white masked man preparing to launch pressurized air at Slade forcing him to use the falling tree branches as cover to avoid the strikes and his Semblance to pass through the last one as he did.

 _I'm not going to be able to keep this up for very long if they keep bearing down on me like this_ Slade noted to himself as he took note of Dusk's condition.

Cole grabbed Dusk by the throat and hardened his opposite hand as he prepared to strike "It's over for you, kid" he quickly moved his hand in front of his face to block a sniper bullet from harming him, the bullet dropped to the floor dented by the impact. Looking over to Willow he found her switching to her staff ready to attack "I have to deal with you now, huh?" he laughed to himself.

Slade propped himself up on the final branch as it descended the tree, looking up at the sound of wild laughter her found Hunter sliding down the tree using his scythe to launch himself toward Slade. Placing his hand down onto the branch he threw himself back onto the tree as Hunter passed by him only marginally missing his strike, slicing the plummeting branch in half. The two masked men and Ebony used their Semblances to completely destroy the tree he was on as they tried to kill him, Slade managed to barely escape the carnage using his Semblance to pass through the attacks.

 _At this rate... there's no way we can win_

Cole suddenly noticed the flames extending from Hazel's blade as she embedded it into the ground, everything it touched instantly disintegrated. Cole quickly ran away dropping Dusk to escape the impending death that followed him. Ebony suddenly launched lightning at Hazel forcing her to retreat quickly.

"Hazel!" Willow called concerned.

Cole suddenly appeared in front of her grabbing Willow by the throat and holding her up over his head as he walked toward Dusk still struggling to breathe, and picked him up in his opposite hand, holding him level with his teammate "You pathetic fools" he chuckled as he began to close his hands around their necks.

Slade took notice of this quickly leaping behind the nearest tree he picked up his scroll from his pocket and called Qrow before placing it on a small branch giving him a clear view of the battle before charging back into it. Slade was suddenly hit in the back by a blast of compressed air forcing him painfully to his knees as several fireballs were launched toward him all exploding upon impact.

"Slade?" Qrow asked answering the call just in time to see him bombarded with fireballs. Hunter could be heard laughing as he approached an injured Slade preparing his weapon to strike "Slade!" Qrow called "Hold on! I'll be there as quick as I can"

"Looks like you weren't so tough after all" he laughed "This is where you die!" he sliced through Slade to find no resistance to the strike. Before he could register what had happened, Slade rolled onto his back kicking Hunter in the face, throwing him onto his back before leaping toward Cole rushing to help his teammates.

"Hazel! Come this way, now!" Slade ordered as he held his hands out over the ground concentrating as he ran.

"I'm a bit busy-"

"Now!" Slade insisted as a large torrent of water erupted from the ground in front of him flooding toward Cole, he looked down in confusion before Ebony launched lighting at Hazel just before she dodged the strike. Cole was electrocuted painfully as Slade pulled his revolver from his holster and aimed it for Cole's head and fired. Cole managed to barely drop Dusk and Willow to use his Semblance to block the attack and leave the water as quickly as he could. Slade and Hazel quickly grabbed Dusk and Willow moving away from their opponents for a brief reprieve.

"You've got to be kidding me!" Hunter groaned in annoyance.

"Are you alright?" Slade asked Dusk and Willow as they coughed painfully to get air back into their lungs.

"We're okay" Willow answered "These guys are too strong for us to handle on our own"

"I know, I called for backup. Qrow will be here as soon as he can" Slade said reassuringly.

Hunter approached Cole with a smirk on his face "You're pathetic, you know that?" he asked.

"You too, how could you not have seen that trick coming after he pulled it on me?" Cole asked with a raise of his eyebrow.

"You saw that did you?" Hunter replied sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck.

"This is just some game to them?" Hazel asked shocked.

"We cannot win this without taking down at least one of those bodies from the field to even the odds in our favor" Dusk pointed out.

"I know, they've been hammering me since we started the battle" Slade sighed "I'm going to go after Cole, the rest of you need to keep Hunter occupied while I do as much damage as possible to him so we can start whittling down those bodies he's using" he explained.

"Got it" Hazel embedded her sword into the ground streaming fire toward Hunter and Cole, forcing them to leap out of the way.

"C'mon now, are you that afraid of me that you're trying to keep me at a distance?" Hunter asked confidently.

Slade appeared in front of Cole with his combat knife in hand swinging left then right as he backed away from him, swinging downward forced Cole to duck away from it. Cole pulled his body back away from Slade as he swung up toward his face then again toward his abdomen and finally swinging it back around to stab him in the side of the head, Cole placed his right arm up to block as his left arm grabbed Slade's to keep the blade from moving any closer to his head.

"You're gonna have to fight me now" Slade smirked "You'll find I'm more difficult to pin down than my teammates are" he pushed away from Cole as Hunter continued to retreat from Hazel's fire.

Slade pressed the attack on Cole with his blade, forcing him back with each strike before swinging his leg up to kick him in the chest pushing Cole back slightly. Swinging the blade toward his face, Cole smashed his hand into Slade's wrist forcing the knife from his hand then swung his leg around for a kick as Slade back away from the attack. Cole kicked for his legs as he slid back then toward his head as he leaned back away from it, issuing his own kick toward Cole's head forcing him to duck under it as he kicked for Slade's legs once more. Slade leapt over the kick and slammed his leg into Cole's arm as he blocked the attack aimed for his head then slid his foot on the ground toward Cole forcing him to jump over it. Slade flipped up through the air and slammed his leg down onto Cole's shoulder before flipping backward away from him.

"Enough!" Cole yelled as they stepped into the large puddle Slade had previously created.

Cole swung his leg up with a powerful kick for Slade's head only to meet with his gauntlet before using his opposite leg to knock Slade's feet out of under him and dropping onto his back. Cole raised his leg up to slam it down onto his face as Slade rolled away before kicking Cole in the chest and leaping away, only to have Cole grab him by the leg and attempt to slam him into the ground. Slade placed his hands onto the ground as he fell and used his opposite leg to kick Cole in the chest pushing him back as he returned to his feet. Cole charged toward Slade pulling his fist back to strike only for Slade to catch it before dropping onto his back and rolling Cole over him with a powerful kick. Cole landed on his hands as Slade stood back up kicking him in the chest, throwing Cole into the air before grabbing him with his Semblance and slamming him into the ground headfirst.

Suddenly Ebony launched lightning at Slade forcing him into the air, the fire mask launched a powerful blast of flame toward him. Slade quickly tied a small thin string to the end of one of his knives and threw it into a nearby three pulling himself safely away from the blast behind a tree only to find a compressed blast of air passing over his shoulder through the tree. Slade quickly ascended the tree as dozens more coated the tree in holes before he soared over the top just as a fireball soared toward him, Slade passed right through it using his Semblance. Landing safely he dropped onto his knees from exhaustion.

"Slade!" Hazel called concerned.

"You shouldn't have looked away!" Hunter yelled soaring toward him.

"Hazel!" Willow screamed in terror as Hunter impaled her onto the end of his scythe laughing maniacally.

"One down, three to go"

Cole stood up from the ground as the fire masked body dropped dead to the floor "Too bad you'll need to try that again a few more times" he chuckled.

"No" Dusk breathed in disbelief.

"Hazel!" Slade yelled concerned _Focus Slade, there's still time to save her. Just take down Cole and Hunter then get her back to the Bullhead. Hopefully Qrow arrives with help soon_

Suddenly the white masked body was forced into the ground by Slade's Semblance as he went right for Cole using his blade to slice his head clean off

"No!" Cole yelled as his body was quickly repaired from the damage but the white masked head came flying out toward him revealing Cole's former teammate Ray. Slade then took his revolver and fired it into Cole's head dropping Ebony in the process. Cole kicked Slade in the chest throwing him backward to his teammates as he painfully rolled to a stop exhausted.

"Slade-!" Willow began to call out to him only to find Hazel being launched toward her forcing her to catch her.

"Guess who's next!?" Hunter yelled as he approached her. Willow used her weapon to defend herself as he stuck, barely managing to keep up. Hunter laughed as he continued his onslaught, catching her spear between his scythe blades he brought the end into the ground embedding it there. Hunter slammed the back of his scythe into Willow's face, stumbling her backward. Dusk pushed her out of the way before finding himself impaled on Hunter's scythe just as Hazel did moments prior. Willow looked up at Dusk in shock "That's two!" Hunter yelled laughing maniacally.

Cole slammed his boot onto Slade's back, forcing him to the ground "No!" Slade yelled at Dusk's possible death.

"Time for little piggy number three" Hunter called licking the blood off his weapon as he approached Willow.

"Watch as all of your friends die!" Cole laughed pushing his boot down harder onto Slade's back.

"Willow!" Slade called from the ground as he tried to get up, Cole slammed his foot onto Slade's back once more keeping him in place.

Willow stood from her place and swung her fist toward Hunter as he easily pushed her away with the back of his scythe. Slade used his Semblance to launch his scythe away from him as he prepared to strike her with it. Noticing his hand extended toward Hunter, Cole smashed his other boot into Slade's back breaking his concentration.

"That's not gonna stop me!" Hunter laughed kicking her onto her back as he used his chain to pull his scythe back to his hands "Time to say goodbye!" he yelled flipping the weapon in his hands before stabbing it down into Willow's chest with a malicious grin.

"NOOOOOOOOOO!" Slade yelled in despair and helplessness.

"That's all three little piggy's that were standing in my way of my true prize" Hunter laughed turning toward Slade as he wrenched his scythe from her chest.

"H-how could you? How could you kill them so mercilessly? Are you even human?" Slade asked as he attempted to attack Hunter but Cole pushed him into the ground once more.

"For those of us climbing to the top of the food chain, there can be no mercy. There is but one rule: Hunt or be hunted" Hunter answered with a malicious grin.

"It only takes one second... one second and it's over" Cole snapped his fingers "Just like that" he chuckled.

Slade looked up at them both from his place on the ground with contempt "You have no idea what you've wrought" he growled.

"Ooh, I'm sooooo scared" Hunter taunted.

Slade passed through Cole's boot followed by Hunter, standing upright before slamming his boot into his back before he could react. Hunter stumbled forward, Cole pushed him to the ground to get him out of his way. Looking back to Slade, Cole found the barrel of his revolver staring back at him just before it fired. Cole managed to dodge the bullet, but not before it tore through part of his mask, revealing part of his white hair.

"You're going to regret doing that" Cole growled.

Hunter's scythe pierced his knee, forcing him down onto one knee. Hunter stood back up with a growl before smashing his knee into Slade's face, throwing him onto his back "You're really starting to piss me off" he laughed "Why can't you just lay down and die already!?" he asked as Slade struggled to get back up.

Suddenly the very ground around them began to vibrate violently as small rocks and pebbles began to float away from the force, Cole and Hunter were lifted up into the air as Slade stood exhaustedly with rage clearly showing in his eyes "It's time for you to know what real pain is" Hunter's cocky grin had changed into a expression of pure terror.

"L-let's talk about this, Slade! You don't want to do anything rash-" he tried but was stopped by an intense pain flooding his senses.

Slade began tearing them apart using his Semblance as they screamed in anguish for what seemed like forever. Eventually the screams stopped and Slade released what was left of their withered corpses to the ground before he himself dropped onto his chest from exhaustion.

Slade laid there for several minutes before footsteps could be heard approaching "Qrow? Is that you?" Slade asked looking at the shadowy figure standing over him "Please, save my teammates. Don't let them die because of me" he pleaded before passing out from exhaustion. The person standing over him was clearly a woman in a black cloak with a hood covering her face, her ember eyes showing clearly as they looked like they could've been ignited by fire as she smiled down at him.

"Don't worry, everything will be alright" she assured him in a sweet tone that would've sent a chill down his spine had he been conscious, as she kneeled down next to him placing her hand onto his forehead, a small purple light twinkled on the edge of her finger "Sweet dreams" she chuckled darkly.

* * *

Qrow was rushing through the trees in his crow form hearing screams of anguish echoing throughout the trees as he approached the clearing, the screams stopped as he got closer _I hope I'm not too late_ Qrow desperately prayed he got there in time, arriving at the scene he changed back into human form to find Dusk, Hazel and Willow bleeding out onto the ground around them having already passed.

"Dammit!" he growled. Looking past them he found several other bodies including Slade's lying on the floor around a single figure covered in a hood as she kneeled down next to Slade "What the hell?" he asked barely above a whisper. Qrow observed the mutilated corpses of Hunter and Cole in disgust "Who the hell could do that to a person?" he asked in shock.

"Slade" answered the cloaked woman as she stood and turned to leave.

"Hey!" Qrow called out to her catching her off guard "Who're you and what're you doing here?" he asked.

"Who I am is inconsequential" she answered "I have already accomplished what I intended to do here Mr. Branwen" she laughed "Please make sure Slade get's the upmost care upon his return, the boy has been through quite an ordeal. We have such big plans for him"

Qrow removed Harbinger from his back prepared to attack "Plans? What kind of plans?" he asked cautiously.

"Don't worry your precious little head about it. I'm sure everything will be made clear quite soon" she answered as she tried to leave.

"Hold it right there! I'm not just letting you go after all that" Qrow said rushing toward her with his blade ready. The woman turned with an obsidian blade in her hands seemingly created by her will alone blocking the strike and extending her other hand toward Slade "Continue to attack me and I will burn him to a crisp" she warned generating a fireball.

"How're you going to fulfill your plans for him if he's dead?" Qrow asked confidently.

"We can always find someone else. Slade will just be the easiest to use... I suggest you allow us to follow through with it otherwise we'll have to implement the plan on your lovely nieces" she threatened causing Qrow to back off immediately.

"If you touch a hair on their heads-"

"You won't have to worry about that for now. I am only interested in the boy" she grinned "Ta" she waved turning to leave.

Qrow stared after her feeling completely powerless to stop her, he looked back to Slade placing his weapon on his back "I'm sorry, Slade. I promise I will do right by you"

* * *

 **Finally reached the end of the chapter. Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed it and are just as excited for the next chapter. It will be reasonably shorter than this one was, but hopefully enjoyable nonetheless. As always I have the colors of the associated names of characters listed right here for you. I know they're not always that imaginative but hey, when you have to work within some naming rules you make do.**

 **Team CHRE (Ochre)**

 **Cole Larson (Coal)**

 **Hunter Thombs (Hunter Green)**

 **Ebony Harris (Ebony)**

 **Ray Vicari (Grey)**


	8. Dream Of Apocalypse

**Disclaimer: I own nothing!**

 **Hey guys! Sorry for the long delay. Turns out I got the flu and was put on bed rest for quite a few days... weeks... annoyingly so. I am still recovering but am mostly back in working order. I apologize for any further delays that may come on account of my lack of time and having to catch up on a multitude of tasks before the end of next month. Hopefully I will be able to get a chapter or two out to you guys every 8-10 days or so. Enjoy!**

"Speech"

 _Thoughts_

* * *

 **Chapter Eight: Dream Of Apocalypse**

Slade's eyes shot open looking around frantically, as he tried to figure out where he was. The ground was black and dead with wilted plants and trees covering the area, there were several bullheads and Atlas transports that lie frozen in time as some exploded or crashed into the earth. The moon was blood red, looking down at his scroll it read "11:00 AM" _the sun has gone out_ he concluded fearfully.

"Where the hell am I?" he wondered aloud.

"You're within the confines of your own consciousness, you're currently unconscious back in reality but do not fear, you're safe" the woman from his visions explained as she approached him from behind.

"You!" Slade turned to face her as she looked up at the moon above them.

"I have always loved the moon" she mused to herself.

"I won't allow you to control me, I'm stronger than your slaves" Slade growled, referring to Hunter and Cole.

"Yes, I feel it" she grinned placing her hands behind her back "I no longer require a slave"

"Then why are you here?" Slade asked annoyed.

"You cannot wield the darkness as so many of your adversaries could and you do not wield the light as Ozpin does, yet you triumph over powers far greater. You have earned my respect, I followed you here so we might speak undisturbed" she explained.

"You don't seem like the same lunatic I fought against with my parents" Slade admitted.

"I am... and am not. Change overtakes us all in the end" she explained.

"Change? Have you finally decided to stop being bad and become a good person or something?" he asked mockingly.

"You mistake my intentions, I have evolved past light and dark, good and evil. I do things because they must be done, not because of some blind sense of morality. One day, you will too" she answered turning to walk away, Slade followed close behind her. She stopped as she reached the top of a nearby hill overlooking some type of battle.

"Your Team SHDW... they aspired to your example but are merely... shadows as it were" Slade looked forward and saw his teammates fighting off Grimm as she pointed to Dusk "The foolish idealist" Then to Willow "the glory-seeking gunman" Finally onto Hazel "The charming tactician" she finished "You no longer require them in your presence. You've grown beyond them"

"They're my friends. I'll never leave them"

"They have already passed from this world, you must let them go"

"Are you insulting my friends for a reason?" Slade asked annoyed by her attitude.

"You have always been far more than a mere Huntsman, evolve past this foolish notion of yours and become something greater" she explained.

"I'll never betray my friends, my heart isn't as black as yours" Slade said before rushing off toward his teammates, he arrived quicker than expected as the ground between them seemed farther than it actually was. Upon arrival he found the three of them lying dead on the ground with not a single Grimm in sight.

"This is the path of a Huntsman" she told as she appeared yet again "Why do you force yourself to hold onto them? They always clung to you like leeches clinging to a predator"

"They're my friends" Slade answered "Being a Huntsman isn't about a life of glory or reward, it's about keeping those who cannot protect themselves safe from people like you"

"You have unlimited power to change reality. Choose to become something greater than you are now"

"Nonsense repeated does not become truth" Slade replied turning back toward her.

She disappeared as her laugh echoed, the ground broke out from under Slade causing him to fall until he found stable footing once more. Looking around he took in the sight of the burning city of Vale and Beacon in the distance.

"Your high council will not save you, Slade. It is a cradle of corruption. I never understood how you could serve politicians" her voice echoed.

"I defend peace and justice, protecting the innocent from harm" Slade answered.

"Yet they squander your sacrifice. Why continue to help? What do you hope to achieve?" she asked appearing in front of him.

"It's never been about me" Slade answered crossing his arms over his chest.

"Perhaps it should be" she shook her head in annoyance "You Huntsmen cultivate detachment from politics and government and yet you lay down your lives to protect places like this"

"The knowledge and cultures of our kingdoms gather in places like this. They're worth defending" Slade argued.

"They would not return that favor. They will shun you when it comes time to blame someone for the destruction of their cowardly lives"

"That won't be happening" he growled.

"Ozpin, Qrow, they're just like everyone else in your life that has failed you. They see you as a blunt instrument that can easily be cast aside.

"Now you're just being hurtful"

"Pain brings clarity, embrace it. You have spent your entire life as a Huntsman in training taking orders from the likes of cowardly politicians, such a waste of time"

"I protect people from scumbags like you, I wont ever have any regrets about that"

"Your kingdoms are an empty ideal, it's people will never appreciate your service"

"I don't fight for praise or medals, I fight because no one else will if I don't"

"You deserve better than empty gestures"

"Stand aside, I wont be swayed from the path I have chosen"

"I will not allow you to follow blindly"

"You're slow on the uptake, allow me to spell it out for you. Leave. Me. Alone"

"I offer help, you seek shelter you do not need"

"I never chose to come here, you brought me. Why?"

she laughed "You control more than you know. I merely follow your lead. There is greatness in you that cannot be denied. You are a far superior leader than any of your headmaster's or generals"

"If what you say is true about my friends, then I am not a superior leader. Leader's keep their people safe, I have only failed to do that. I am not one of your slaves, you cannot tempt me with power"

"You already possess all the power you require. What you lack is focus. Cast aside this pathetic attempt at a grand society and create something-"

"Greater, yeah you've been saying that a lot. I wont bother explaining democracy to a monster like you"

"I am no monster, and democracy is overrated" she turned away from Slade and faced the burning structures "This place is not worth saving any more than the others, the world has a greater purpose"

"If you think we're joining forces you're insane"

"Am I?" she asked with a smile.

Qrow and Ozpin suddenly appeared behind Slade, forcing him onto his knees without even touching him "What is this? What's happening?"

"You see the truth" she answered turning around "You failed to complete your mission and your teammates are dead, they need someone to blame"

"I know I failed them, but I won't allow fear to take hold of me"

"They do not care about your fear or lack of it"

"I will not succumb to you"

"Then allow me to help you" she raised her hand toward Ozpin and Qrow killing them instantly with tendrils of darkness erupting from her hand and piercing their bodies painfully. Slade was suddenly able to stand again as the weight holding him down lifted.

"No" he turned to see them.

"No authority but your own. No obligation but to yourself. Do not be afraid, admit how good it feels. True freedom"

"Professor Ozpin is the heart of the Huntsman's entire structure, I could never strike him down nor could I harm Qrow. They've both been good to me"

"You refuse to admit your truth. So be it" she sighed.

"These visions... are they real? Will Vale fall? Ozpin and Qrow?"

"What does it matter?" Salem asked.

"Can I stop it from coming true?"

"Stop concerning yourself with their fates and concern yourself with your own"

"They matter to me" Slade replied "I cannot just cast them aside so easily"

"I never said anything about it being easy, but it must be done"

"What do you want!?" Slade yelled enraged "Why do you force me to endure you endless prattling? Let me go!"

"I have done nothing to you but speak the truth and I do not hold you here. However what it is I seek is your liberation... with your help the things I can accomplish are vastly greater than what I have currently available to me"

"You need me to accomplish your goals?" Slade asked surprised "I knew you wanted something but that's a bit more than I expected"

"Do not mistake me, I can accomplish my ambitions without you but they would come to fruition much more quickly with you at my side" she explained.

The area around them suddenly started shifting, light breaking through the broken sky around them "What's happening?" Slade asked.

"You're awakening, I have told you everything I could and answered all of your questions, debating your course through life. But now it seems our time together is over, it is up to you to decide your path... I hope you make the right choice" she finished disappearing from his vision.

"Wait!" he called "What's your name?" he asked hoping she could still hear him as his vision was blinded by the light burning away his surroundings.

Her laugh could be heard echoing in his ears "Salem" she answered

* * *

Slade's eyes fluttered open, slowly adjusting to the light of the room he was currently in. Looking around he notice he was connected to several machines keeping track of his vital signs. The nurse nearby walked over with a needle in hand never even looking at him as she did.

"Alright, Mr. Stroud. I know this isn't your favorite part but we're gonna have to-"

"What're you doing?" Slade asked causing her to jump back at the sound of his voice covering her mouth as she almost screamed.

"You're awake?" she asked in shock "You're awake! D-doctor!" she yelled quickly rushing out of the room.

Slade began pulling the medical instruments attached to him off or out as he stood from the bed, nearly falling over with his first step. The nurse returned with a doctor in tow to find the room empty

"Where'd he go?" the doctor asked.

"I don't know, he was right there" the nurse answered.

"Find him" the doctor ordered "I will call his emergency contacts"

Slade had used his Semblance to pass through the walls and floors in search of his equipment, upon arriving in a room filled with junk he found what appeared to be his revolver. Picking it up he found his armor and gauntlets close by, quickly changing out of the hospital gown into his usual attire he continued to use his Semblance to leave. Upon reaching the front doors he quickly exited the building finding Qrow to be right in front of him with his scroll in hand.

"What do you mean he-" Qrow stopped upon seeing Slade in front of him "Nevermind, I found him"

"What? What do you mean you- " Qrow hung up the call and sighed.

"First day awake and you're already causing trouble"

"Sorry, I don't like hospitals" Slade shrugged.

"I'm glad to see you're awake" Qrow smiled lightly.

"Where's my teammates? Are they alright?' Slade asked hopeful.

Qrow's smile disappeared and was replaced with a deep frown "I'm sorry, kid. They... didn't make it"

Slade remained silent, his eyes wide in shock "I think I'm gonna be sick" he dropped onto his knees "I failed them" he fought to hold back tears as his mind raced, his initial anger being replaced by an overwhelming feeling of sorrow.

"You did everything you could, no one could've done more for them with what you faced"

"Things went pretty badly after they ambushed me" Slade sighed "I suppose Professor Ozpin would want me to report back to him"

"More than likely, yes. I was actually hoping to be somewhere else today but I wanted to come check up on you first, guess I made the right call" he laughed.

"What do you mean by somewhere else? Was something important going on today?" Slade asked.

"I'll tell you about it on the way, I've got a lot of information to cover since you've been unconscious for almost a year now" Qrow answered leading him toward a nearby bullhead he had arrived in.

Slade stopped dead in his tracks "Year?" Slade asked shocked.

"Yeah, you've been gone some time. Even missed your graduation" Qrow sighed "Ozpin could tell you more but I am leaving that up to him" they entered the Bullhead "Take me to Beacon" he called to the pilot.

"You've got it" she called back.

Slade and Qrow both sat down, an uncomfortable silence between them "They've been buried?" Slade asked.

"Yeah, their families took care of that... they... they blame you for what happened to them"

"They should, I was the one in charge of the mission. The responsibility falls on me"

"Oz could've sent another team but he sent you, responsibility lies with him just as much as you if not more"

"I don't want to argue who's fault it was... I just want to get my life back on track"

"We'll help you do that if you need it. I'm sure Ozpin will agree"

"I suppose we'll find out wont we" Slade sighed "You seemed rather excited to be somewhere else, Qrow. Something going on I don't know about?" he asked.

"Yeah, both my nieces are coming to Beacon today. It's their first day"

"Both? I thought one was a few years behind"

"She is" Qrow chuckled "Yang is at the right age and Ruby had the same thing you did, she's only fifteen and Ozpin granted her entrance into the school this year"

"Just like he did with me. Now I understand" Slade chuckled "I can find my way to Ozpin's office myself once we arrive, you can-"

"No, no, no. I am not turning you loose so easily, my nieces will understand" he laughed.

"Alright then" Slade chuckled lightly as Qrow took a swig from his flask.

* * *

They arrived in Ozpin's office as the elevator door opened to reveal Ozpin looking over a datapad with great interest.

"Oz" Qrow greeted.

"Qrow, I wasn't expecting to see you back so quickly-" he stopped as he caught sight of Slade dropping the datapad onto his desk in shock.

"Professor" he nodded respectfully.

"Slade... you're awake" he stood from his desk with a small smile "I'm delighted to see you well"

"It's good to see you too, Ozpin"

"Does he-" Ozpin asked looking to Qrow.

"I've already filled him in on that, he knows about his teammates and how long he's been unconscious" he explained.

"Ah" he sat back down in his chair "I'm sorry, Slade. I wish I had done more-"

"You can't blame yourself for not knowing their capabilities. They hid it very well"

"Yes, well enough to deceive two of their own teammates from their true natures the whole time"

"Yeah" Slade sighed "I understand I missed my graduation"

"You did indeed, unfortunately you also failed your mission so normally you would've failed your test and not graduated at all"

"Oz-" Qrow started.

"However considering the rare and unusual circumstances surrounding your mission I will be overlooking that and allowing you to be formally considered a full fledged Huntsman if you so desire"

"What about the licensing exam?"

"We'd wave that if you wish and allow you to get your license without taking the exam. I believe you've earned your place among our ranks already. You could always decline and take the exam instead for old time sake. Do either of those options appeal to you?"

"Perhaps, but I have some things I would like to clear up first"

"Such as?" Ozpin asked.

"While I was unconscious I had dreams, visions even that were much more real than I would've liked"

"Explain"

Slade remained silent as he collected his thoughts, he took a deep breath before continuing "Salem spoke to me"

"You know her name?" Qrow asked surprised.

"She told it to me, she also argued and debated with me for quite some time. One year according to Qrow" he sighed "I refused to believe anything she said but at some point Salem started making sense... it scares me more than anything right now that she could be right"

"That's why you're reluctant to accept the title of Huntsman" Ozpin concluded, understanding "You don't want to side with anyone until you know for sure you're on the right side"

"I was hoping you could assuage my concerns and convince me I am on the right side" Slade confirmed.

"Well then, allow me to tell you the full truth of myself, Salem, and the war we've been having for centuries"

"Centuries?" Slade asked confused.

"I will explain" Ozpin assured him "Qrow, you may leave if you wish. This may take some time"

"Yeah" he sighed "Call if you need me" he turned and left down the elevator leaving the two of them alone.

They sat in silence for a moment as Ozpin collected his thoughts, standing up from his desk he walked around to stand in front of Slade "Before humanity existed there were two gods, brothers to be exact. They each wanted something different than the other, one created and one destroyed. No matter what one created the other created something to counteract it. That's how the creatures of Grimm came to exist, but at some point they put aside their differences and agreed to create one thing together. One thing that was perfectly balanced between creation and destruction, their creation is what we now call humanity" he explained.

"We were created by two gods waring against each other as a peace offering?" he asked.

"That's certainly one way of looking at it" he chuckled "All of humanity was granted four gifts. Relics by the gods that created us. Choice, Knowledge, Creation and Destruction. Salem and I were born long afterward, she and I were close for sometime but... Salem succumbed to darkness and put the kingdoms you know today to war through deceit and manipulation. I was charged by these gods to destroy Salem and bring peace to the world just before they left... I failed. Not long afterward humanity began to lose it's natural powers considered magic now, instead possessing Semblances like Qrow and yourself. The Faunus began turning up not long afterward, though I am uncertain as to their true origin"

"This all sounds like it was a long time ago, how could you both still be alive?" Slade asked curiously.

"The gods cursed me to reincarnate into another body after every death to try again and again. Breaking the curse upon me requires Salem to be defeated... as of yet I haven't found a way to permanently destroy Salem. Salem's immortal and cannot die from aging like everyone else" he explained.

"I cannot fault you for that, I understand defeating someone as powerful as her must be extremely difficult" he sighed "What more is there?"

"I granted my power to four woman to assist me in defeating Salem once they had proved themselves to me. They took the titles of Maidens for themselves and decided to each take a season as their individual titles. Summer, Spring, Winter, and Fall. Apparently as I was cursed so too was my power, when they died their power was passed on to someone else but it worked differently than my own reincarnations. The last person they thought of was the one who inherited their power, for whatever reason it seems to be restricted to women only"

"This... is a lot to take in" Slade admitted crossing his arms over his chest.

"I know, I understand you're hesitance" Ozpin sighed "There's more to the story than that though"

"Did you know Salem was behind the disappearances near Foxworth?" Slade asked moving toward one of the windows overlooking the courtyard.

"I suspected but I didn't have any concrete proof-"

"You don't need to beat around the bush with me. Did you know?" he asked turning his head back to face him.

"I... yes. Even if it was someone else, I knew Salem would be behind it in some manner or another but I didn't know what exactly she was doing" he explained.

"What about the attack plans for the town Malachite stumbled onto? Did he really stumble onto them or was it intentional?" Slade asked turning around fully.

"I informed your parents of some information indicating some of Salem's followers had been using that cave as an outpost for some time. I asked them to investigate and they sent your brother instead, I still do not know why but I suspect it had to do with his rather unique semblance for tracking people. This was possibly also why the decided to never leave you alone again as they were afraid of losing you" he answered truthfully.

"Hunter and Cole... how long did you know they were with her?"

"Two years, I wanted to know what Salem's plan was... unfortunately I couldn't figure out how to do that so I waited and watched. Please don't blame Qrow, he didn't know about any of that" he pleaded "It was my decision to send you after them without backup, I never would've guessed they were as powerful as they were. I am truly sorry about what happened to the rest of your team"

"Without backup?" Slade asked confused "What about Qrow? Wasn't he coming to help us?"

"Of course, but he didn't leave with you like he should've. I should've sent him with you instead of sending him along behind you"

Slade's hands closed into fists as he struggled to keep his anger under control "Do you know who the woman under the hood is? The one who caused my dream of Salem and was responsible for implementing the plans that led to the deaths of my family-" Slade stopped as he came to a realization.

"No, I have no idea who she is but she's clearly a powerful follower of Salem or she wouldn't trust her to continue so many times after so many failures" he answered as he stood up straight, cautious of his growing rage.

"I can't believe you've been lying to me all of these years" Slade growled turning away from him.

"You were just a child" Ozpin pointed out "I know I should've been more upfront with you about your mission but I didn't know they were going to be that powerful or that your mission would go sideways so fast. I had Qrow on his way in case you needed assistance and trusted you all to be cautious and had faith in your abilities, I didn't know they were waiting for you"

Slade shook his head as he walked toward the elevator but stopped after a few steps, he lifted his hand up shaking his finger lightly "Just tell me one thing" he turned to face Ozpin "Why did Elise get kidnapped with the other three Huntresses?" he asked.

Ozpin remained silent as he realized his train of thought "I don't know" he answered "I told you the truth when I told you she was sent to find the other Huntresses that had been captured, I assume it was for another summoning ritual like in Foxworth only a year prior"

"You know what I'm thinking?" Slade asked looking absolutely enraged.

"I have no clue" he lied as his hand hovered over his cane on the desk behind him.

"You son of a bitch you're dead!" Slade yelled pulling his revolver and firing it at him, Ozpin used his cane to deflect the bullet easily. Slade fired several more bullets forcing Ozpin to deflect them as he stepped closer with each shot. Using his gauntlet blade, he swung for his face as Ozpin ducked back away from the strike, spinning gracefully away from Slade.

"Slade, please stop this. I don't want to hurt you" he pleaded.

"Tell the truth!"

"Talk to me, Slade. I do not wish to fight you"

"Then tell me, why Elise was captured"

"I have been around for countless centuries, Slade. I do not make decisions based upon what I feel is right, I make decisions based on my experience. And I have a lot of it"

"Stop tiptoeing around the question" Slade growled as he circled Ozpin with his revolver in hand.

"I offered Elise a choice and she accepted" Ozpin relented.

"You made her into one of the Maidens didn't you?" Slade asked his anger increasing.

"I merely made her aware of the opportunity and explained to her everything she needed to know. I never kept anything from her-"

"Yet she's dead. You sent her after the other Maidens!"

"I didn't!" Ozpin yelled back "Elise chose to go after them and got captured on her own. I didn't even know who was responsible or where to start searching but she went off anyway"

Slade remained motionless, gauging whether or not to believe him "Why did you keep this from me for so long? You let me think I was the one responsible for her death. That if I had waited and allowed Qrow and Glynda to rescue her instead of me she'd still be alive"

"I didn't think you were ready to know about Salem and the Maidens, about me. You were still so young"

"Yeah, well you see how well that went" he shook his head in annoyance "How do I even know you're still not keeping things from me? How do I know what you've told me is the truth and not just more lies like Salem's words? How do I know she's lying and not telling the truth?"

"Slade-"

"No, Ozpin... I'm done" Slade placed his revolver into his holster sheathing his blade back into his gauntlet and turned to leave.

"Slade, please-"

"Goodbye, Ozpin" the elevator doors opened to reveal Glynda.

"Professor-" she stopped upon seeing Slade "Mr. Stroud, I'm so glad to see you-" she stopped once more as he passed her without a word, the elevator doors closed and he descended the tower "-Well" she finished to herself "Professor, what just happened?"

"I told Slade everything" Ozpin sighed "He didn't take it well... he's leaving"

"Leaving?"

"I need to talk to him, get him to see he's already on the right side before Salem does"

"You need to give your speech in the auditorium. Your students are waiting"

"I-"

"No, Professor. You cannot duck out of this because he's upset. Send Qrow to speak with him and catch up after your speech. Those students can't know about what just happened here" she lectured gesturing to the bullet holes in the walls from Ozpin deflecting Slade's attack.

"Fine" Ozpin relented with a sigh "Let's do this quickly then"

* * *

Slade had already left the city of Vale behind him, he had left everything he didn't have on him for it didn't matter to him anymore. He knew he had more than enough money stashed away to get him through the next few months at least in his accounts. Slade aimlessly followed the path leading away from the city not truly knowing where he was going or what he was doing. Looking up as he noticed a familiar presence he found Qrow leaning against a nearby tree watching him approach.

"Hey, kid" he greeted.

Slade stopped just before passing him "What do you want?" he asked.

"Oz, said you were done being a Huntsman"

"I am"

"Why?"

"He didn't tell you?"

"He did... I'm asking you why"

"I cannot continue to fight for a man who doesn't even trust me enough to tell me the truth. Someone who would willingly send people I care about off to their deaths when he could do it just fine and come back if he died... Elise died because she was a Maiden, if she hadn't been, she wouldn't have needed to die over being captured"

"Are you planning on joining Salem?" Qrow asked concerned "I really don't want to have to fight you, kid"

"I have no plans on joining her insanity, I don't want anything to do with this war anymore. Too many people I care about have died because of it... and the only ones left I care for are still fighting it"

"Then what do you plan to do?" Qrow asked cocking his eyebrow curiously.

"Keep walking until I figure something out" he answered as he passed Qrow.

"Can you really walk away, knowing everything that you know now?" Qrow asked stepping onto the path looking to Slade as he walked away.

Slade stopped once more "Why couldn't Ozpin just say that to me? Why did he just lie about it?" he asked "Why couldn't he just trust me?" Slade asked turning back toward him slightly.

"Ozpin has been through a lot in his war against Salem. Unfortunately that war has left him with trust issues, he's very cautious when it comes to placing his trust in people around him. Even me, after all I have done to help him, he hasn't told me everything"

"You know I used to believe... that what we do is important. No matter what the cost, no matter who we lost. Whether it was Dad or Malachite or..." he paused as tears began to form in his eyes, he wiped them away quickly "And I would take the hit, but I kept on fighting. Because I believed... even through Mom and Elise, and now Willow, Dusk and Hazel are gone I just... I don't know... I don't know"

"So now you don't believe anymore" Qrow concluded with a deep sigh.

"Qrow!" Ozpin called arriving behind him.

"Oz" Qrow greeted.

Slade turned to glare at Ozpin "Why couldn't you trust me, Ozpin?"

"I... I didn't think it was the right time for you to know. You'd been through so much already and there was too much weighing on you to do that to you"

"Finally" Slade said holding his arms out from his sides "Some damned honesty"

"Please, Slade. I know I've made mistakes but I am doing the best that I can-"

"Don't give me that shit" he growled "I came to Beacon because I needed someone to show me my place in this confusing world. Well... I suppose I found that much, but not in who I expected it from"

"You plan to join Salem" Ozpin concluded as a stray tear fell from his face.

"No, though she is responsible for me finally seeing the truth. I suspected you were hiding things from me for quite sometime now, but I trusted you enough to blindly follow even when I questioned everything you said and did I never doubted your intentions. I still don't" he shook his head in disappointment turning away from them "But I am done blindly following orders. From now on I am going to question everything, and choose what I believe" he continued walking away from them "Goodbye"

"What do you plan to do?" Ozpin asked as he got farther and farther from them.

"Choose" he answered without turning to face them.

"Dammit" Ozpin growled "I screwed up again, just like with Raven"

"Don't compare Slade and Raven. Slade's not going to become a criminal like she is, he cares about people too much"

"I hope you're right... for all of our sakes"

* * *

 **That's all for now! I know it was short and all, but it was all I could manage in the past few days given most of this was already written when I became bedridden. Thank you all for your patience, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Stay tuned for more!**


	9. Judgement

**Hey guys! So obviously it has been a bit longer than I originally promised (I know I'm sorry!) I have been contracted by three different developing companies as of last month so my time for writing has been crunched down to very little. I will still be getting these chapters out as soon as I possibly can but cannot guarantee exactly when that will be so I will be trying to make the chapters a bit shorter so I can get out more instead of less chapters with longer waits. Thank you guys so much for your patience and I hope it was worth the wait. Enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing!**

"Speech"

 _Thoughts_

* * *

 **Chapter Nine: Judgement**

 **(Present Day)**

"After that we didn't see heads or tails of Slade for about a year. Of course I was keeping tabs on him but he never did anything too out of line in the beginning" Qrow explained "Slade became a Bounty Hunter, quickly earning a name for himself bringing down the most wanted criminals around with relative ease. Not too long after he was contacted by Ironwood himself and tasked him with infiltrating a criminal organization and bringing in their leader alive"

Qrow stopped taking another swig of his flask only to find it empty "Damn" he sighed "Long story short he succeeded and managed to get on the good side of Roman Torchwick, which landed him several other jobs taking down criminals and brining them in. This gave Slade a good reputation within certain circles of law enforcement giving him a free pass on pretty much anything. Not long afterward he met Adam Taurus and Cinder Fall"

"I can't believe it..." Nora looked slightly shaken by the story.

"How can someone experience so much pain, so much lose and just keep fighting?" Weiss asked "If I ever lost you guys or Winter... I don't know what I'd do"

"That's not going to happen, Weiss" Yang assured her confidently.

"Slade didn't think it was going to happen to him either" Jaune sighed "Pyrrha died for the same reasons his friends and family did. They believed their sacrifices would be worth it. Sometimes I wonder if it really is"

"Jaune-" Ren tried.

"Imagine being in Slade's position" Qrow sighed "You've lost all of your family and friends and the one person you have left to believe in lets you down... that can break anyone"

The group stared silently at Qrow, sadly thinking about the possibilities of it happening to them "The day Slade attacked Ozpin, was the same day as our orientation... Was that why he was so detached during his speech?" Ruby asked

"Yeah, he was still thinking about Slade... Oz was understandably upset"

"What kind of jobs did he do for Adam and Cinder?" Yang asked curiously.

"I don't know everything he did for them, but he hunted down and killed several former members of the White Fang and even current members so Adam looked innocent when it came to their deaths. The jobs he took on for Cinder however are a complete mystery to me, I found out he was responsible for the arrest of several officials and company board members on account of an overwhelming amount of evidence of their corruption turning up anonymously"

"You think Slade was responsible for finding the evidence?" Yang asked curiously.

"Slade's done more to help the world anonymously since his departure from Beacon than either of us expected. That's why we never hunted him down, he was proving to be a help instead of a hindrance like we had anticipated. I assumed he was using his association with Adam, Cinder, and Roman to keep himself from being suspected" Qrow explained "Unfortunately not long before the attack on Beacon, I received evidence that Slade had accompanied Cinder and her "Friends" to the last town Amber, the Fall Maiden had been seen in. The entire town was slaughtered... there weren't any survivors"

The group gasped in shock "I think I'm gonna be sick" Weiss held her hand over her mouth in revulsion.

"That's when we decided to go after Slade. Ironwood was told of his actions and shown the evidence and he refused to believe it. Every law enforcement officer and Huntsman in the world knows Slade's face now and would attack him without a second thought had he been found. Of course, Slade's much better at staying under the radar than we anticipated and I was sent after him-"

"Wait" Yang looked thoughtful "Slade told me about the attack on the town" she recalled.

"What did he say exactly?" Ozpin asked surprised.

"He didn't go into much detail but he did say they did something unspeakable and that's why he left their employment. Now I wonder if he meant the massacre" she answered.

"If that's true, then Slade might not be as bad as we originally thought but regardless of that he's still dangerous"

"That's why you were sent after him right?" Jaune asked curiously.

"Yeah, unfortunately when I started to get close to finding him, I received an anonymous letter"

"What kind of letter?" Nora asked leaning forward expectantly.

"The letter told of an attack coming soon to the city of Vale and that the relic was in danger. It warned me to return quickly and protect my family, it also said the attack is planned around the tournament and to keep a watchful eye out on the students. Some of Salem's followers had infiltrated our ranks"

"It was a warning about the attack on Beacon" Ozpin shook his head in disappointment "We headed it too late"

"You knew about the attack and still couldn't stop it from happening" Jaune asked angrily "Pyrrha died fighting in that battle!"

"Jaune" Ruby gasped.

"I know" Ozpin sighed "I wish I had seen the situation more clearly, but I couldn't convince the council with an anonymous letter. They had already placed Ironwood in charge of security, not that it did much good"

"Who gave you that tip?" Ren asked "You said it was anonymous but you must've obtained it somehow"

"I found it underneath the cap to my flask when I decided to take another swig" Qrow answered "I still don't know how it got there without me noticing, but I was glad it was something intended to help us and not an assassin"

"Yeah, otherwise you'd be dead" Nora pointed out.

"Do you think Slade could've been the one who gave it to you?" Yang asked hopeful.

"It's not impossible" Ozpin admitted "I often wondered if perhaps he had tried to assist us without getting directly involved, but had nothing to support the theory"

"Why did you tell us all of this? This seemed like something personal that Slade should've been the one to tell us about" Ruby pointed out.

"I explained this to you so maybe you could understand why he's so dangerous, you never know what you're gonna get with him anymore. Slade's only motivation is money. Bounty Hunter's don't just take jobs on good faith and hope to make a profit, especially when those jobs don't have a foreseeable end date. This war could take us a week or it could take us years, decades, hell... we may not even be the ones to end it. What do we have to offer him as motivation?"

"Other than saving the world and becoming a hero?" Jaune asked.

"Slade never cared about being a hero, even before he began attending Beacon. If I'm being honest he reminded me a lot of you Ruby" Qrow sighed.

"Why didn't you tell Slade the truth when he asked about his sister the first time?" Ruby asked.

"I didn't believe he was ready for that information in his current state. I fully intended to inform him the day he had awakened but his anger rose so quickly I believed him to be unstable" he explained "Unfortunately if I had told him he may still be fighting with us today as I had hoped he one day would"

"You wanted him to help you in your war against Salem but never told him anything about it until that day?" Weiss asked "You don't think that's a little selfish?"

"I didn't want to force him down that path, but yes I had hoped he would fight with us against Salem. I left him in the dark about Salem for as long as possible so I could allow him to make the choice for himself. Unfortunately for everyone Salem wanted Slade on her side, so she forced him into something he wanted nothing to do with"

"That's why he chose to be a Bounty Hunter" Ruby concluded "Slade didn't want to have to choose a side when he didn't trust either of you"

"That's right" Qrow sighed "Slade has become obsessed with money as it gives him an excuse to ignore the world around him in favor of hunting criminals"

"I know he cares about more than money" Yang said standing abruptly "Slade wouldn't have continued to learn at Beacon if he didn't want to help people"

"Maybe that was true once, but not anymore" Ozpin sighed.

"Just because you don't believe in him doesn't mean I can't" she spat angrily.

"Yang-" Qrow tried.

"No, Qrow!" she turned toward him "You and Ozpin kept secrets from him while he suffered through his torturous visions of Salem, you never told him the full truth around the death of his family members until it was too late. You never trusted him enough to tell him the truth when he deserved to know. What did you think he would do? People don't just take being lied to very well, let alone when those lies end up killing his family and friends-"

"That's enough, Ms. Xiao Long!" Ozpin yelled stopping her "I know we didn't do as much as we could've or even should've, but that doesn't change anything about the man he is today. I would love to be able to change what I did to him and bring his family back, but that just isn't possible... Slade has become a different man than I thought he would be and certainly a different man than I thought he had become already as shown by his decision to help you and stick with you to make sure your family was alright despite the lack of a payday" he explained remorsefully.

"Don't you see?" Yang asked "If all he cared about was money he would've killed my mother or at least captured her for the bounty on her head. Slade gave that up to ensure I found my family. He's a good person, Professor" Yang insisted.

"Slade's always been a good person, I just don't think he can see that in himself right now... being good means you care, and caring is the worst fear he has now" he explained.

"You mean he had all of those corrupt officials and businessmen arrested anonymously because he was getting paid for it?" Yang asked sarcastically.

"She's got a point, Oz"

"I know you still want to believe in him, Qrow. I do too, but the fact of the matter is he's far too dangerous-"

"Give me one good reason why I should give up on Slade? One reason why I shouldn't trust him"

"Slade's broken the trust of everyone he has ever worked for" Ozpin replied "Slade's got a bounty on his head because of his crimes and Cinder and Adam have been sending thugs and hired killers to take him down for betraying them"

"Oz-" Qrow began.

"You should know more than anyone what kind of person Slade is now, Qrow. You've seen the aftermath of what he's capable of, and the evidence of how cruel he can be"

The room became silent as Ozpin and Yang glared at one another "What do you mean by cruel?" Yang asked never turning her gaze away from Ozpin.

"Slade's tortured people that didn't need to be harmed just to gain information on a target. He would drive them to an inch of their life and then have them incarcerated... he plays with his food so to speak" Qrow explained.

Yang wanted to rebuke his statement but remained silent as she knew he could've been capable of more than he showed her on the bandit he had shot for Raven's location, she wondered if he lied to her about the lengths he would've gone for the information. The silence eventually became unbearable for Ruby.

"So... what exactly is Slade's Semblance? You never full explained it to us" Ruby asked curiously.

Qrow turned to look at Ozpin with a small shrug, Ozpin sighed "To be honest we don't really know enough about his capabilities to properly categorize his Semblance like we can with all of yours" Ozpin answered.

"What do you mean?" Ren asked not understanding.

"Well, simply put; your Semblance, that of Ms. Rose, Ms. Xiao Long and Ms. Valkyrie are as simple as they come. One is able to mask emotions, another to absorb electricity or attacks in Ms. Xiao Long's case and transfer it into raw strength, and the other to increase your speed exponentially. Ms. Schnee's and Mr. Branwen's are slightly more complicated than that having multiple uses, such as increasing speed, decreasing speed, summoning a creature to help fight and even just creating a platform to stand on. Qrow's is less predictable as it only affects bad luck for everyone around him, of course this could range from something as small as a wooden beam falling on your head or something as big as slipping while dodging an attack and getting impaled on the edge of a blade" Ozpin explained.

"You're saying Slade's abilities are even more complicated than that?" Nora asked.

"Yes, far more complicated" Qrow answered.

"So far we've been able to discern Slade has the ability to manipulate anything and everything that exists, organic or created, right down to the molecular level. How he does this is still yet to be determined though I suspect it's mental manipulation as his emotions seem to cause it to react similar to your eyes Ms. Rose"

"You mean when I watched Pyrrha die?" Ruby asked solemnly.

"Unfortunately, yes. Whenever Slade was upset or enraged like when his sister was killed, his Semblance was out of control. Most of the time I don't even think he was aware he was doing anything"

"You said he could manipulate anything... what exactly did you mean? Like telekinesis or something closer to Pyrrha's?" Jaune asked curiously.

"Very astute Mr. Arc" Ozpin smiled lightly "From what I have seen, Slade doesn't possess anything more than the ability to move things telekinetically but cannot alter their make up. For instance he cannot change your hair color from blonde to black but he can ensure you never had a bad hair day again" Ozpin explained with a chuckle "However Slade has also managed to control his power to such a degree, that he can pass through objects. We once believed this ability to be a separate Semblance from the first but it turns out to be one and the same"

"How does he pass through objects? If he cannot alter the makeup of a structure then how would he be able to do that?" Weiss asked confused.

"Slade simply manipulates the molecules of both himself and what he is passing through so that they never intersect. Of course our minds are not capable of perceiving this and so we fill in the blank space so it appears a blade or bullet passes through him when in reality, it never really existed there to begin with until the intersection period has passed, then he puts the molecules back into alignment. It's an extremely dangerous ability, considering what can be accomplished with it in the midst of combat but also to the user"

"How is it dangerous to the user? That sounds awesome!" Nora yelled excitedly.

"Think about it, Nora" Yang turned toward her "What happens if Slade doesn't put something back correctly or is distracted while doing so? What do you think happens when you tear a whole in yourself then don't put yourself back into place?"

"Oh" Nora sheepishly rubbed the back of her neck.

"You're very sharp, Ms. Xiao Long" Ozpin smiled "His Semblance is dangerous for that reason along with several others. If he catches one of you with his Semblance or tried to throw you out of the way of an attack but used too much force he could break you in two, crush you, even make you implode due to the slightest distraction. Slade's mental conditioning is impressive for him to never have made this mistake in the past, but there's a first for everything"

"Slade's never done it before?" Ruby asked surprised.

"Only during his early training days, and he stuck to non living things back then. Since then, he's never done it... not unintentionally anyway" Qrow answered.

"What do you mean?" Ren asked curiously.

"I told you there wasn't much left of Hunter and Cole's bodies when I arrived didn't I?" Qrow asked getting shocked expressions back from the group "From the sounds of it, he didn't make it quick either. I could hear their screams out for miles"

"What about Slade's ability to see into the future?" Ruby asked.

"Yeah, you said he saw us and the attack on Beacon before but didn't specify what exactly he saw" Yang pointed out.

"I am still uncertain if that is directly tied to him or his connection to Salem. It's possible it's related to his Semblance somehow, but it's far more likely Salem is manipulating his visions for a reason. Though some of them he described to us didn't make sense as something to convince him against us"

There was a uncomfortable silence that hung over the room, everyone uncertain how to continue the conversation. Some of them wondered if they should just end it where it was and call it a night. Finally Weiss decided to speak up, breaking the silence.

"So, the Maidens. Magic. Salem. It's all true?" Weiss asked drawing their attention back to their previous conversation.

"Uh-huh" Qrow nodded.

"Ah, yes, back to the bigger topic" Ozpin chuckled "Ms. Xiao Long, everything I have said, is this more or less what your mother told you?" he asked. Yang doesn't respond still having her arms crossed over her chest angrily. Weiss answers for her.

"For the most part"

"You forgot something. You forgot to tell everyone what you did to Qrow and my Mother" Yang added causing Ruby to gasp.

"What is she talking about?"

"Oh, great" Qrow groaned as he rubbed his forehead in annoyance.

"Hm, that's not a secret I thought she would give up so easily. Your mother must trust you a great deal" Ozpin mused causing Yang to scowl at him "My ability to reincarnate, though a curse, isn't without a few key benefits. Much like the Maidens, I too possess a certain... "magical" power" he stands up and walks next to Qrow "Using this power, I was able to gift the Branwen twins the ability to "see" more, to move freely and be unburdened by their natural bodies. I... well... gave them the ability to turn into birds" he chuckled lightly "Rather ridiculous sounding out loud, isn't it?"

 _Wait, what?_ Oscar asked mentally.

"Uncle?" Ruby asked cautiously.

"You turned them... into birds" Ren repeated in disbelief.

"Alright, now you're just messing with us" Nora pointed out.

"What else is new?" Jaune growled angrily.

"He's telling the truth. We saw it. Yang's mom... changed, right in front of us" Weiss assured.

"Why would you do something like that? I mean, what is wrong with you?" Yang asked angrily.

"Yang, that's enough! We made a choice. We wanted this" Qrow explained, Yang relented.

"May I?" Ozpin asked Qrow, earning a nod in return "Granting this power to them was no trivial task, and I can assure you it was not done frivolously. I required assistance in gathering information on Salem's plans, as well as searching for Maidens when their hosts became unclear" he explained.

"Okay, so, have you done this with others? Like General Ironwood? Or Professor Goodwitch?" Ruby asked curiously.

"As helpful as that might be, unfortunately, it is not that simple. My power is finite, and if I'm being honest, dwindling. The amount that I gifted to Qrow and Raven was, all things considered, rather miniscule. You see, centuries ago, I sacrificed a great deal of magic to four young women, who I hoped would use my gift for good. They were the first Maidens" The group remained silent "Ms. Xiao Long, it was never my intention to lie to you. To any of you. There are just some matters that I prefer to... "play close to the chest" he looked to Qrow "I believe that's how you phrased it?"

"Yeah" he chuckled back.

"Everyone has a choice. The Branwens chose to accept their powers and the responsibilities that came with them. And later, one of them chose to abandon her duties in favor of her own self-interest. Now, all of you have a choice. If anyone wishes to leave, now is the time. There's no shame or disgrace in abstaining, only in retreat" Ozpin explained. Everyone is silent as they ponder Ozpin's words.

"Very well, then" he continued, Yang suddenly stands up.

"Yang?" Ruby asked concerned.

"If Ruby sticks around, then I will too. If there's one thing I know about her, it's that she somehow always knows the right thing to do" she smiled down at Ruby, earning one back "But, if we're going to help, if we're going to keep risking our lives, no more lies. No more half-truths"

Everyone remains silent. Ozpin and Qrow exchange a brief look with each other. Ozpin ponders Yang's words for one last moment, before responding with a smile

"Understood" Yang sits back down, content with his answer.

"So... what now? I mean, what can we do?" Jaune asked.

"Mm, that is a difficult question. One that I believe is best answered tomorrow" Ozpin replied.

"What do you mean?" Jaune asked.

"The road ahead is undoubtedly filled with hardships and peril. However, it's been far too long since you have all been together" Placing his hand onto Yang's shoulder "Please, take tonight, enjoy this moment" earning a smile from Yang. Suddenly Oscar's eyes glow, with Ozpin giving him control back to his body. Oscar realizes he has his hand on Yang's shoulder.

"Geh!" he quickly takes it off and nervously holds his cane in his hand. Yang and Weiss laugh at him, before hearing a noise from Nora.

"Oooohhh. Raven? Qrow? They're birds! Cracked it!" she proclaimed proudly. Ren shakes his head at Nora being slow on the uptake.

"So that's how you watched over Slade during his test in the emerald forest?" Ruby asked.

"Yeah, I was a bird following him around. It's also why he almost took my head off" he chuckled at the memory.

"We would have a better chance against Salem with Slade's help" Yang said to Qrow "I've seen him fight, he's better than anyone I've ever seen at his age" she offered "I think I can convince him to our side"

"I don't trust him" Qrow replied earning a glare from Yang "But if you think you can convince him to come work with us, so be it" he sighed crossing his arms.

Yang leaned up and kissed him on the cheek "Thank you, Uncle Qrow!" she called rushing toward the door "Don't get your hopes up, Firecracker. Slade's not likely to agree to it" he called as she reached the door.

"I'll be sure to be as persuasive as I can be" she winked back at him.

"Yang!" he called stopping her before she left "Remember, not a word-"

"Don't tell Slade about Ozpin. I know" she replied back to him "I promise I won't say a word" she called yanking the door open and rushing out.

"Hey, Yang!" he called as his hand came up only to slump back down as he rubbed his forehead in annoyance "Why do I even bother"

"Do you think she'll be alright?" Ruby asked "Slade seems like a nice guy, but he's also pretty dangerous" she pointed out.

"I know, kiddo. That's why I'm going with her"

"You think it's going to be easier to convince him to work with us with you there?" Weiss asked raising her eyebrow.

"I'm not going there to help convince him, I'm going to make sure nothing happens. Besides, they'll never even know I'm there" he chuckled as he changed into crow form and flew out the still open door.

The group stared silently after Qrow as he had left "I'm never going to get used to that" Jaune groaned causing everyone to laugh.

* * *

Slade sat on the barstool in the empty building as he drank down yet another glass slamming it down onto the bar shattering it "Shit" he groaned in annoyance, picking the glass out from between the metal armor on his gauntlets.

"That's the third glass tonight" the bartender pointed out "You wanna talk about it I am a fantastic listener"

"Put it on my tab" Slade growled gesturing for another.

"That's your eighth drink in the last twenty minutes, slow it up or I'm gonna have to cut you off" he warned.

"How about you worry about you and I'll worry about me" Slade replied grabbing the newly filled glass from his hand and placing more Lien onto the bar.

"Long as you promise not to break anymore glasses on me"

"Yeah, yeah" he waved off.

Yang entered the bar spotting him as she closed the door behind her. Qrow in his bird form flew up to the window on the second floor overlooking the entire place.

"What do you want?" Slade asked without turning to look at her.

"I came to talk" she answered.

"Then talk, come, sit" he pulled out a barstool and patted the seat, she approached and sat down beside him cautiously.

"What can I do for you miss?" asked the bartender.

"Just a water is fine" she replied as she stared silently at Slade gulping down the contents of the glass.

"Coming right up"

"What is it you wanted to talk about?" he asked as the bartender gave Yang a glass of water and filled up Slade's glass once more. Slade placed more Lien on the bar before taking a sip of his drink.

"You seem rather drunk" Yang pointed out.

"Rather less than I planned to be" he replied "Of course I usually drink something stronger than the swill they serve here in Mistral" he chuckled as he lifted the glass to his lips.

"Qrow told us everything about your past" Slade froze just before he took another sip from his glass.

 _Oh boy_ Qrow groaned inwardly.

Slade finished the contents of his glass and placed it down on the bar "Bartender, cut me off" he said placing the glass over on his left leaving the space in front of him open as he turned to Yang looking her in the eye "What exactly did he tell you?" he asked narrowing his eyes at her.

"He told us what happened to your brother, parents, and sister... to your team. He also told us about your visions of Salem, and Cinder being behind everything pertaining to you and your family, and about your abilities. Qrow explained what you knew as opposed to the truth of what happened when you asked Ozpin and we know you attacked Ozpin when you found out what he did to your sister" she explained. Slade remained silent, searching for any signs of deceit. Finding nothing he shook his head, turning away from her with a soft chuckle.

"Good, that saves me the trouble of dealing with that myself later. I really hate talking about things" he admitted with a deep sigh.

"Qrow says you don't care about anything but money-"

"I don't" he interrupted sternly.

"I don't believe that"

"Good for you"

"You can't truly believe that after everything that you did in your past and what you've done since"

"I believe the truth, Yang. That's what that is" he replied.

"Liar"

"Stubborn ass"

"You know I am right"

"Do I now?"

"Yeah, you do"

"Funny... I thought I knew you were wrong, but I guess you got me" he rolled his eyes.

"Why can't you just admit that you care about people-"

"Because the people I care about always die, Yang!" he yelled, Yang stared at him in shock, her shock quickly changed to sympathy "I'm cursed, Yang. Qrow may have really bad luck, but he's never gotten anyone killed simply by existing"

"You're not cursed-"

"Really, Yang? Then explain to me how in only a few years time my brother, sister, mother and father all ended up dead just because I was around. The first official mission I went on with my team they all died. What other connection do you find in all four of those events?" he asked.

"Salem" Yang answered.

"Precisely" he replied looking away from her "Salem has an obsession with me... I don't know why she continually focuses on bringing me to her side but so long as I remain on my own path, anyone I care for will end up dead sooner or later" he explained.

"That's not your fault, Slade"

"No, it isn't... it's Ozpin's" he turned back to her "Did you know he's the reason Salem is the way she is today?" he asked.

"I... Qrow never said anything about that while he explained it to us"

"Qrow might not even know" Slade sighed "Did Qrow... tell you what I did as a Bounty Hunter? The jobs that I've taken and the people I've killed?" he asked looking somewhat nervous.

"Yes"

Slade remained silent as he looked toward the empty glass next to him and thought about getting another, he sighed deeply "They say everyone is born a hero" he took out his revolver and stared down at it "But if you let it, life will push you over the line... until you're the villain" he placed it back into his holster "I'm no hero, Yang. I never have been and I don't pretend to be. I'm just a man trying to make it through to the next day"

"Do you ever see their faces? The people you've killed?" she asked curiously.

"Everyday" he answered looking toward her once more "Though it's not a very large number"

"What do you mean?" she asked surprised.

"The majority of my jobs paid me whether or not they were alive or dead. Dead was easier but too short in my opinion, I brought in everyone I was able to"

"So you only killed a handful of people compared to how many you incarcerated? Is that what you're saying?" she asked.

"Mostly. I can count on my hands how many jobs I've taken to actually kill someone"

"Just how many jobs have you done?" she asked.

"183" he answered.

"That was incredibly specific" Yang deadpanned.

"Only about eight of them demanded death. I'm not really a fan of those ones though, they require proof of the deed instead of just walking them in the front door and that can get nasty"

"You did that many jobs in only one year?" she asked surprised "Did you start the day you left or something?"

"No, I started a week after departing from Beacon. Of course I did take several at once on some days as they would be in the same general area"

"You work fast I'll give you that" she laughed.

Slade chuckled "I try my best" the two of them remained silently staring into each other's eyes, looking away he sighed with a small shake of his head "I know why you're here, Yang"

Her smile turned into a frown "Qrow doesn't think you'll fight with us"

"He's right"

"Slade, please-"

"I will not apologize for the truth, I refuse to fight Ozpin's war anymore"

"Innocent people will die if we don't stop Salem"

"Innocent people will always die, that won't change just because one person is dead" he replied.

"You've fought against evil before" she pointed out.

"Things were different then, this is now" he paused with a heavy sigh "I'm not a good person, Yang. I'm not a Huntsman, and I'm certainly no hero... there's nothing more to discuss"

"You are a good person, Slade" she insisted "You wouldn't still see those you've killed if you weren't, you wouldn't blame yourself for the deaths of your family and friends, and you never would've attended Beacon if you didn't want to help people"

"I'm not you!" he yelled standing up from the bar stool "I can't keep fighting just because someone asks me to, Yang. Ozpin unleashed a monster that's unstoppable, who doesn't have a conscience. How do you suppose we win against something like that? Huh?!" he asked, his eyes desperately searching for an answer in her own.

"By trying dammit! You cannot succeed if you don't even give it a shot!" she yelled back standing from her bar stool.

"Trying? That's your answer? I've done that, and yet Salem killed everyone I cared about. MY FAMILY! Just to prove I couldn't change a damn thing..." he sighed turning away from her.

"We don't understand what she is exactly, what she can do" Yang pointed out "There's gotta be some way we can beat her. Everyone has a weakness"

"You've got that right" Slade sighed "I can't keep fighting, Yang. I told Ozpin I was done a year ago and I meant it" he turned to leave "I'm sorry"

"Please" Yang pleaded as she followed him to the door "All I'm asking is for you to try" Slade stopped in the center of the room turning back to her.

"You cannot convince me to join you, Yang" he replied narrowing his eyes.

"Ruby and Qrow are going to be fighting Salem even if I don't. I cannot just stand by and let my family, my friends go on their own... we'd have better chances with you helping"

"I cannot fight for Ozpin another day, I made my choice already... but you don't have to fight, Yang. You can choose your own path"

"My family and my friends will be fighting Salem. I won't let what happened to Pyrrha happen to them... they need me... they're relying on me" she explained.

"People are always relying on you, Yang. They won't stop just because you aren't there... I'm sorry. I can't join you in this fight"

"So you're not even going to try? You're going to give up before you even get started?" Yang asked angrily "You know not everyone has gone through the same shit that you have but everyone fighting with Ruby including her have lost people they cared about. None of them have had it easy getting to where they are today and you're just gonna give up on them?" she asked.

"Yang-"

"We don't have much choice here, ya know?"

"Yang..." he sighed "The reason I refuse to fight is because I don't want to be the reason you all end up dead too" he walked back to the bar and poured himself another glass while placing the Lien on the bar to pay for it "It's my last one I promise" he laughed as the bartender glared at him. Slade leaned back against the bar and looked back to Yang "Qrow explained my connection to Salem, yes?" he asked, earning a nod from her.

"Well then you know it's a two way connection, I can see what she sees and she can see what I see. I recently found a way to block her out so she cannot see if I don't want her to see but she can do the same on her end if she wants" he explained "Even if I fought with you... it's possible she could use me to spy on you and your friends. You'll be far safer without me around"

"I trust you enough to know you wouldn't let her do something like that, if you even suspected she was looking through you, I know you wouldn't stick around" she explained.

"I'm not going to fight with you, Yang. My mind is made up" he replied.

"I saw how recklessly you threatened my mother back in her camp. When she offered you the choice to leave or face her and the rest of the tribe or leave with us, you chose to leave"

"You think I'm afraid to die?" Slade asked taking a seat at the nearby table.

"No... I think you want it" she answered honestly "The real question is: Why did you choose to leave instead of fight?" she asked sitting across from him.

"If I fought Raven, you and Weiss would've gotten involved and you never would've found your sister. As someone who's lost everything that matters... I couldn't just sit there and let that happen again to somebody else"

"Aw, you do care" she punched him in the shoulder "I knew it"

"Yang-"

"What the hell do you think you're doing here after last time!?" yelled a man leading a group of six into the bar all wearing different variations of purple clothes with yellow thrown in here and there.

"Some more friends of Adam?" Yang asked.

"Not quite"

"You're not allowed in this city anymore, Stroud. After you trashed the bar the boss said you were fair game, she doesn't care what Torchwick has to say" the man up front warned as they approached.

"I can assure you I had no intention of coming to Mistral and didn't even know I would be here until I was teleported here by Raven Branwen" Slade explained.

"Branwen?" the man asked surprised "What's a guy like you doing associating with someone like her?"

"You know how business is" Slade shrugs "I go where the money tells me"

"Slade hasn't-" Yang began before he put his hand up toward her.

"Let me handle this, Yang"

"Who's this? Your girlfriend? the man asked to Yang's annoyance.

"I worked with her on a job, that's all" Slade answered.

"Since when do you work with a partner?" the man asked confused "I thought you work alone"

"I do, this was a one time thing" he answered earning a small glare from Yang "You can let Miss Malachite know I'm not staying and won't be interfering with her business so long as she doesn't interfere with mine"

"She doesn't care what you're doing here, you need to leave"

"Look, boys" Slade said as nicely as he could "I've had a rather eventful day today, so whatever you think you're going to accomplish by intimidating me" he slammed his hand onto the table standing up and glaring at the man as he shrunk away from the sound "I suggest you wait until I finish my drink" he took another sip before retaking his seat.

"Do you think we should just go?" Yang asked.

"Nonsense I haven't finished my drink yet" he replied.

"Better finish it quick then, if she finds out you're here, you're gonna have someone coming after you for a change" he grinned.

Slade sighed "Fine have it your way" he stood with his glass in hand and walked to the door.

"You looking for some company sweetheart?" the guy asked leaning toward Yang "I know a few places around here-" he stopped and looked back at Slade as he heard the doors locking and the window shutters all close at once.

"You should've just kept that big mouth of yours shut" he chuckled taking a final sip of his drink before flipping the empty glass around in his hand "Threatening me wasn't the best idea you've ever had but hitting on her is an even worse one. I've seen her temper before" he looked at the men as they gathered behind him trying to look intimidating "Allow me to teach you a lesson in manners" he flicked his wrist backwards launching the glass from his hand into the head of the man leading the group shattering upon his head as he dropped onto his back. Slade slowly approached the group "Are we going to stand around all day? Or are we going to fight?" he asked with a smirk.

The man in the back pushed the man in front of him out of his way before pulling his fist back and swinging for Slade's face. Slade easily redirected the punch with his arm pushing his by the wrist, forcing him to punch the man to his right in the face, dropping him into the bar face first before crashing into the floor. Slade then kicked his first assailant in the chest before blocking a second's punch with his left arm and slamming his right fist into his face.

Yang laughed as they continued to attack him to no avail, Slade turned from the man he just punched to elbow another in the abdomen just as he was preparing to punch him. The man behind him stood back up and grabbed him by the shoulder only to get backhanded followed shortly by and fist to his face as Slade grabbed hold of his arm with his left hand and turning to backhand another man as he attacked.

The man who attacked him first pulled out a knife and tried to stab him as Slade pulled the man in his grip toward him lifting his arm up painfully as the knife embedded in his shoulder. Slade kicked his leg out from under him as the knife was pulled back out of his shoulder dropping him onto his knees, before ducking under a punch for his head as the man stumbled past him then kneed the man on his knees in the face.

One of the men behind him swung for his head from behind just as Slade ducked under his attack once again and placing his fingers together he chopped his hand onto the man's shoulder breaking the bones as he did before running the same hand under his opposite arm and back over his shoulder keeping him trapped in his grip. Another had a knife in hand and stabbed toward Slade as he turned with the man in his hold using his gauntlet to knock the weapon from him and kicking the man in the chest. The man stumbled backward smashing a few glasses on the bar as he crashed into it, he picked up a bottle from behind the bar and swung it toward Slade. Using his semblance, he forced the man back into the bar while being careful to not break the bottle as it was guided back into place then slamming his boot into the man's face.

Slade removed his arm from under the other man's and kicked him onto a nearby table, breaking it as he fell atop it. Then he grabbed another as he attempted to crawl away and slammed him face first into another's head knocking them both unconscious. The next man with a knife in hand thrusted toward him as Slade caught his arm in hand and elbowed him in the abdomen before grabbing him by the throat and spinning him toward the bar. Stopping as he faced the bar, he turned the man around and kicked him in the back, flipping him backward as he soared toward the bar slamming into it and falling to the ground unconscious.

The leader of the men finally stood back up with a gun in his hand he began firing at Slade just as his gauntlet came up to deflect the bullets "You dirty son of a bitch!" he yelled as he fired until the gun clicked indicating it was empty. Slade flipped sideways and kicked the man in the face, throwing him into the ground before slamming his fist into his face knocking him unconscious as well. The bartender just looked at him in anger "Sorry" he tossed a considerable amount of Lien onto the bar "That should pay for any damages"

"That was glass number four"

"I know" Slade sighed turning back to Yang "Sorry about that. Needed to let off a bit of steam" he smirked "Qrow pissed me off a bit back at the house so" he shrugged.

"Was that because they threatened you or because he started flirting with me?" Yang asked, looking a little too pleased with herself.

"Please, Yang, don't insult me. I cannot allow him to think he can go around threatening me when I have a reputation to keep up" he turned toward the door "See you around I suppose. I truly hope none of you die" he added as he walked through the closed door without unlocking it.

"How did I get lucky enough for that guy to show up in my bar?" the bartender asked sarcastically.

"Sorry about that" Yang said rubbing the back of her head sheepishly "Let me help you clean up to make up for it"

 _I'm sorry, firecracker_ Qrow sighed _I tried to tell you he's different than you think he is... at least now I won't have to worry about him finding out about Ozpin_ he sighed in relief _Though I have to say, I am surprised he's as good natured as he is given the reputation he's built among the underworld... though perhaps that has something to do with his predisposition to starting bar fights_ he chuckled to himself before flying off back toward the house.

* * *

Ruby sat on the couch with Weiss as they talked about what each of them had been through since they last saw each other. The door opened as Qrow entered the house "Uncle Qrow!" Ruby called excitedly.

"Heya, kiddo" he laughed "Yang should be back soon, she helped clean up the bar Slade was at when he trashed it" he explained.

"Is Yang okay?" Ruby asked concerned.

"Relax, it wasn't her he got into a fight with"

"Then who-?" Ruby started to ask before the door opened as Yang entered "Yang!" Ruby called matching her enthusiasm for Qrow.

"Hey, Ruby" she greeted solemnly.

"What's wrong?" she asked concerned.

"I went to go see Slade... Qrow was right. No matter how much I tried to convince him to help us he refused"

"Because he wasn't getting paid?" Weiss asked.

"No, he didn't even bring up money. It's because he didn't want to see more people getting hurt again" she sighed.

"Neither do we, that's why we can't give up" Ruby said as if it was obvious.

"Yeah, that's what I told him" she plopped down onto the couch "It's just not as cut and dry for Slade as it is for us"

"Slade's connection to Salem has done a lot of damage to him, Yang. One day I hope he can move past that... but he's too scared of being hurt to allow himself to care again" Qrow explained sitting down next to her.

"He's only human after all" Ozpin's voice spoke from behind him.

"Oz" Qrow greeted.

"I assume by his absence that Slade isn't joining us" he sighed walking around and sitting in the empty chair.

"Yeah, he's moving on" Yang answered "He's leaving and not coming back... I thought he was better than that. I believed he was better than that"

"He was" Ozpin sighed "I made him into the man he is today, I am responsible for turning him away from his true self" he wiped a stray tear from his face "There are days when I wonder if I am doing more harm than good fighting against Salem. Then atrocities like the attack on Vale happen and I'm reminded why I fight... because no one else can"

"I think Slade got used to being alone for too long and now he's scared to accept someone else into his life" Ruby said looking over to Ozpin "You're not responsible for what Salem has done to him and you're not responsible for making him into the person he is today" she assured him.

"You're too kind, Ms. Rose. I wish I could believe that myself" he smiled softly toward her.

"Slade still cares though... he's a better person than he gives himself credit for" Yang shook her head lightly "If he didn't care about people... about what's right... he wouldn't fight against criminals the way he does"

"What about the criminals he doesn't fight against? Criminals like Adam Taurus, Roman Torchwick, and Cinder Fall?" Weiss asked "Wouldn't he fight against them if he wanted to do what's right?"

"You have to put your hands into the dirt to pull weeds" Qrow answered "Slade more than likely was using them to take down bigger fish than he could if he didn't, but honestly we still don't know for certain"

"I hope so..." Yang stared off in silence "I hope someday Slade remembers who he truly is"

"Me too, kid... me too" Qrow looked down in shame.

* * *

Slade entered the tavern as all the eyes in the room shifted to him he spotted his target, he smiled as he approached the heavy set woman sitting in the chair at the back of the room.

"That's quite close enough for my taste" she stated stopping him in place as the man in front of him pointed a gun toward him "I thought I made it clear last time we met that you weren't welcome here in this city anymore" Malachite narrowed her eyes.

"Oh, yes I remember. Your men sent that message loud and clear back in that bar" he laughed crossing his arms over his chest "You used to be subtle, Malachite"

"Well maybe that changed when you trashed my lovely abode" she said gesturing to the building they were in "What're you doing here, Stroud?" she asked leaning back.

"I'm looking for someone" he answered.

"That's no surprise but why come to me? You have multiple other contacts to go to-"

"I've broken ties with some of my old contacts and the others have recently been killed" he answered stepping forward passing right through the man in front of him, shocking everyone in the room before sitting down across from her "Now, can we do business or are you still holding that accident against me?" Slade asked raising his eyebrow slightly.

"Who exactly are you looking for?" she asked interested.

Slade showed her a drawn picture "Sorry, I didn't have anything else to use and had to go from memory" he chuckled handing her the drawing "Her name is Blake Belladonna"

Miss Malachite stared at the detailed picture slightly impressed with the work "What do you want with this girl? She a bounty of yours? Or something more personal?" she asked curiously.

"I don't want to know where she is. I'm doing this for a... for a... friend" he finished.

"Friend?" Malachite laughed "I know you, Stroud. You don't have any friends, you push everyone who comes close to you away. You like to work alone. Ring a bell?" she continued.

"I'm not here to listen to your inane prattling" he growled "Will you do it?" he asked.

Malachite leaned back in her seat stroking her chin thoughtfully "I will look into it, give me a few days and we'll let you know what I've found" she answered.

"Thank you" he stood from the chair he was in "Pleasure doing business with you again" he added with a small smirk as he turned to leave.

"Pleasure was all mine" she called after him as he left the building with a smile. Shortly after he was out of sight she frowned "Find out if anyone is looking for him" she ordered.

"Boss?" her bodyguard asked "Didn't you just agree to help him?"

"Yes, and I want you to find out what you can of the girl in question. However I also want you to find out who else he's pissed off, I'd like to know if we can make a tidy little profit off of it" she explained.

* * *

It is early morning in Mistral. Ruby's lying on the ground of the patio outside of the training room. She watches a group of four birds flying together, before one of them flies away from the group. As she watches it fly, Ruby sees Yang peek over her head.

"You're up early" she pointed out.

"Hey, sis" she smiles up at her.

"Boop" Yang lets her hair down and uses it to tickle her little sister's nose. Ruby giggles affectionately at her older sister's action. Ruby then sits up as Yang sits down next to her.

"What are you doing up?" she sighs contently.

"Can't fall back to sleep"

"Ah, me neither"

"Well, fortunately, coffee exists" Weiss called from behind them. Weiss carries a tray with three cups of coffee and walks over to join her teammates. She lowers the tray down so Yang can grab a cup.

"No, please!" Ruby shook her hands in front of her face.

"Don't worry, I put in blasphemous amounts of cream and sugar, just for you" she assured her holding the cup out in front for Ruby.

"Oh yeah! Nice Weiss strikes again!" she said as she reached for it. Suddenly, Weiss pulls the cup away just as Ruby was about to grab it.

"I will pour this on you and it will burn" she warned. She hands the cup to Ruby, who nervously giggles. Weiss sits down next her teammates and grabs her cup of coffee after placing the tray down next to her.

"Can't believe we're actually in Mistral" Yang sighed in contentment.

"That's what you can't believe?" Ruby asked surprised.

"Well, yeah! And all the other magic and stuff. But... Okay, you know what I mean!"

"I honestly wasn't sure if I'd ever see you two again" Weiss admitted.

"Well, here's to defying expectations" Yang and Weiss clink cups together, while Ruby gulps her cup down in one go, opening one eye to glance at the others' cups.

"I just wish Blake could be here with us" she pointed out.

"Yeah, well, she made her choice" Yang deadpanned.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Weiss asked.

"I mean she could've been here if she just stuck around. It's no big deal though. We'll be fine" she replied bitterly.

Ruby and Weiss have concerned expressions on their face "Don't you want her here?" Ruby asked.

"Why would I want her here?" she asked as if it was a dumb question.

"Are you still mad at her for leaving?"

Yang scoffed "Oh, whatever gave you that idea, Ruby? No, I'm totally fine. I'm great"

"Okay, calm down" Weiss tried.

"Don't tell me to calm down!" she yelled as her eyes flashed red. Ruby and Weiss gain startled expressions.

"Whoa, Yang"

Yang realizes what she did, and her eyes turn back to normal. Her hand shakes while holding her cup "Whatever" she got up and walked inside. Ruby and Weiss exchanged a look of concern as she left. Their attention was drawn by a deep sigh behind them, turning they found Qrow with his arms crossed over his chest.

"She's still mad about Blake leaving?" he asked.

"Yeah, it hurt her pretty bad" Weiss sighed "Probably because the only reason Yang even lost her arm was for helping Blake and instead of sticking around and helping she ditched us"

"Slade leaving probably hasn't helped the situation" Ruby pointed out.

"Yeah" Qrow shook his head as he placed his hands in his pockets "One person leaving you when you need them is hard enough but she's had more than enough people disappear on her... she has every right to be angry"

"How many people have left her?" Weiss asked.

"First her own mother Raven, then Ruby's mom Summer, and now Blake and Slade both left too... she must feel pretty abandoned at this point" he explained.

"Mom didn't choose to leave her though" Ruby offered in defense of her own mother.

"Not intentionally" Qrow said with a small smile "Summer was always doing the right thing... unfortunately there was always going to be something she couldn't overcome, going out on missions like that all the time"

"Yeah" Ruby wiped a stray tear from her face "I miss Mom"

"Me too, kiddo... me too" he sighed.

* * *

Yang sits alone on a bed looking at the "New Friends!" photo of Team RWBY. She hears a knock on the door and quickly puts the photo away "Yeah?"

The door opens but Yang doesn't look up to see who entered. "Look Ruby, I really don't want to talk about it, okay? Can you just leave me alone for a bit?" Yang looks up, and is surprised that it was not Ruby, but Weiss who is at the doorway.

"Oh. Hey Weiss. Did you need something?" Weiss says nothing. She closes the door behind her and sits on the bed opposite to Yang.

Yang sighed "I know she's our teammate, but I'm not just going to change my mind. I'm sorry, I just... I don't think you know what it's like to be left. You have a giant family, recitals to perform at, dinners to attend. I didn't have any of that. My mom left me. Ruby's mom left too. Tai was always busy with school and Ruby couldn't even talk yet. I had to pick up the pieces. I had to keep things together. Alone" she paused "Weiss, if you have something to say, then say it"

Weiss remains silent for a moment, before responding "When I was ten, my dad finally admitted to my mom that the only reason he married her was for the family name" she sighed "It was actually on my birthday. He missed the big dinner, she got mad, he finally snapped. I think she already knew. Looking back, I think I knew too. But hearing him say it finally pushed her over the edge"

She gets up and sits down next to Yang on the other bed "First it was separate lunches and dinners, opposite balconies at my recitals, a glass of wine here, a glass of wine there. Then, it was no dinners, no recitals, a bottle of wine here and... well, you get the idea"

"I'm really sorry. I shouldn't have assumed"

"You're right though. I don't know loneliness like you do. I have my own version. And, I'll bet Blake has her own version too"

"She doesn't have to be alone though. I was here for her. We all were! She chose to leave us"

"Why do you think she did that?"

"Hm?" Yang asked confused.

"The entire time Blake was at Beacon, she was afraid to open up to people. She tried to keep her past separated from us. She tried to protect us. Eventually, those walls she put up came down. And the moment they did, the one thing she was afraid of actually happened. The universe proved her right"

"No one blamed her for anything! If she had just talked to us, she would've known that! How could I be there for her if she doesn't let me? What if I needed her here for me?" Yang buries her face in her hands and starts sobbing quietly, Weiss puts reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"I know it's not easy. I wish she hadn't left too. The only thing we can do now is be there for her when she's ready. When she comes back"

Yang lowers her hands from her face "If she comes back"

"She will. Yang... You, Ruby, and even Blake are more like family to me than my brother or even my own father. I would do anything for you three, and I'm willing to bet Blake feels the same way. So, when she's ready, I'll be there for her. And I know we're not as close, but... I'm here for you too" Weiss smiles and Yang calms down.

"She still left when I needed her the most" Yang insisted.

"Did Slade not do the same thing?" Weiss asked.

"That's not-"

"Is that not the same thing?" she asked "Blake was afraid we would get hurt and we did. Slade was afraid his team would get hurt after what happened to his family and they didn't just get hurt... they died. She blames herself for what happened to you, Yang. Just like how Slade blames himself for what happened to his team. If you were in their place, don't you think you would feel the same way?" she asked.

"I... I... I don't know how I'd feel" she admitted "Maybe you're right" Yang relented with a deep sigh.

"All I'm saying is people don't just leave without a reason, I'm sure Blake thought what she was doing would be in our best interest"

"Maybe..." Yang relented.

They hear a knock at the door, which opens up and reveals Ruby. "Is, uh... everything okay?"

Yang smiled at her "Yeah, it is" Ruby sighs in relief.

* * *

Slade entered the tavern with a lit cigar in hand to find many of Miss Malachite's men looking at him nervously as he made his way toward the very smug looking woman he intended to meet with "Slade Stroud, how nice to see you again" she greeted.

Slade's hand hovered over Defiance as he remained standing "You have the information I'm looking for?" he asked.

"I do indeed" she laughed "Ms. Belladonna was in Menagerie" she answered "She seems to have reunited with her parents there and has been traveling with another Faunus named Sun Wukong since leaving Vale. She's currently on her way here to Mistral" she explained.

 _Well I'm paying you quite a sum of money for nothing then_ he inwardly groaned.

"Thank you, that should be sufficient enough" he turned to leave "Pleasure doing business with you again, Miss Malachite" he called as he tossed a sack of Lien over his shoulder onto the table to pay for her services.

"The pleasure was all mine, but before you go..." her men stopped Slade by forming a wall in front of him "There's some people who've been looking for you for sometime now. Apparently you're not an easy man to pin down"

"That's how I'm still alive" he said turning back to her "You really don't want to cross me, Malachite. The last time I messed up your bar was because I just happened to be here. Think about what I'll do to this place when you get on my bad side" he warned.

"I think I'll take my chances" she grinned "C'mon out now. Mr. Stroud is delighted to meet you again" she called.

Slade turned around to see Cinder standing in the open room with Mercury accompanying her as Miss Malachite's guards moved out of the way "Cinder" he greeted unsurprised "I knew I smelled an overinflated ego" he crossed his arms over his chest with a deep sigh.

Cinder grinned at him "Slade" her voice hissed out "It's been far too long"

"Not long enough for some of us" he replied "I had hoped the last time we met was the last we would ever see each other" he admitted.

"I'm sure you did" she laughed "Unfortunately for you, Salem has a vested interest in you"

"That's one way of putting it" he continued to glare as he stepped closer.

"You look good"

"Clean living" Slade replied placing the cigar into his mouth "You look like you've suffered some losses" he added referring to her injured face and her sleeved arm indicating an injury as she normally left as much uncovered as possible.

"You remember Mercury?" she gestured toward the man with his arms crossed in front of his chest.

"Still shooting first, asking questions later?" Slade asked mockingly, referring to his actions during their previous encounter.

Mercury kicked up toward Slade firing a round from his boot through his cigar before returning to his previous stance "You still chewing on cheap cigars?" he asked with a smirk.

"Boys, please. Settle down" Cinder smiled lightly at the interaction between them "I have a job for you"

"I already have a job" he replied spitting the cigar out of his mouth.

"Still hunting Raven? 19 grand right?" Mercury asked with a cocky grin.

"19.5" Slade answered "You know I haven't had to kill anyone in a while" he pointed out.

"Starting to miss it?"

"Right about now I am" Slade's hand hovered over his weapon.

"Yeah?" Mercury asked, his tone practically begging him to try something.

"Mercury, take a walk and go find Emerald for me please" Cinder ordered.

While seeming a bit reluctant, he nonetheless complied and turned to leave "Attaboy" Slade taunted earning a growl from him as he left.

"You know Salem and I are both not proud of the way things ended between us. I want you to know neither of us intended for Elise to die"

Slade's smirk dropped at the mention of her name "Conversation's over" he pushed past her, shoulder checking her as he did. Cinder groaned rubbing her shoulder as he passed.

Slade had a brief moment of surprise, sensing something dark on his arm as he brushed by her but it passed almost as fast as it came _Something is off about her, that arm isn't quite right_

"Playing the callous mercenary again? That isn't you, Slade" she said following after him.

Slade stopped, turning to face her getting dangerously close "You would know, huh?" he asked as she instinctively backed off.

"I-I would" she managed to stutter out despite the confidence her newfound power had granted her.

"What do you want, Cinder?" Slade asked impatiently.

"Name your price" Cinder replied handing him a contract "Salem is willing to pay anything to have you on our side. If you continue to stay neutral in this war, the day will come when she won't be able to keep you safe from the repercussions of the collapse of civilization"

"I can take care of myself" he replied smacking the paper against her chest as he turned away from her, shocking Cinder.

"This is not about you, Slade" she replied following behind him "Who's going to ensure that cute blond isn't killed when we destroy Haven? She's already lost an arm... how much more does she need to lose?"

"Goodbye, Cinder" Slade placed his sunglasses on as he continued walking away. Cinder stopped following, watching as he left with disappointment written across her face. She sighed before following after Mercury to find Emerald and Hazel.

* * *

Oscar who is currently letting Ozpin take over, and Qrow Branwen are seen sitting together in the living room of the house they're staying in currently. Qrow takes a sip from his cup.

"Things aren't looking good, Oz"

"Ever the optimist" he sips from his own cup "While I would not say our current predicament is... ideal, I think we can both agree that the situation could be much worse. Humanity is a resilient force"

"Oz, pro Huntsmen like that don't just bite it all at once. Salem's powerful. It seems like her reach is growing by the day. What does that say about humanity?"

"That there are indeed a misguided few who have filled their hearts with malice. It doesn't take a great number of people to cause harm, but I still believe there are far more people in this world willing to prevent it" As Ozpin is about to take another sip, Ruby Rose is heard walking into the room.

"Um, excuse me?"

"Ah, Ms. Rose, join us. We were just about to gather everyone to discuss our next steps"

"Oh, uh, great"

"Something on your mind, kiddo?" Qrow asked.

"Uh... uh, it's... if it's okay to ask" she answered honestly.

"Of course"

"Well, uh... we've been talking about the Relic at Haven... and the Spring Maiden, but... what about the Fall Maiden?"

"Cinder?" Ozpin asked.

"Does that mean... Salem has the Beacon Relic?" Ozpin and Qrow share a brief look with each other.

"Very astute, Ms. Rose, I was wondering who would be the first to ask. No, thankfully she does not. It's true that the Relic at Haven is very much at risk, and for now, that should remain our primary focus. Let's just say I made finding the Relic at Beacon a... bit more challenging than at the other schools" Ozpin explained.

"Oh" she sighs in relief "That's good to hear"

"It is, but let's not forget the challenges that still lie before us" Ruby nods in understanding "Now is there anything else we can help you with?"

"Oh, uh... well, I did have one more question"

"No, my cane is not a Relic"

"I have no more questions" she replied causing them all to laugh.

"Yes, while this cane is indeed very precious to me, it is also just that - precious to me. While I admit it still has a few more tricks up its sleeve, I can firmly say that being a Relic isn't one of them. Now why don't you run and get the other students?"

Suddenly, Qrow's scroll is heard vibrating. He takes it out from his pocket to see "Leo Lionheart" calling. He takes the call.

"Yeah? Okay... yeah, we'll be there" Qrow hangs up.

"Who was it?" Ruby asked.

Qrow sighs while taking out his flask "It was Leo, says he had a breakthrough with the council. Thinks he might be able to get together a small raiding party for the bandits. He wants us to meet up at the school tomorrow night to walk us through it"

Ruby gasps and smiles "Really? Oh that's great! I'll go get the others" Ruby runs out of the room while Qrow takes a drink from his flask.

"Mmm, that sounds drastically different from your original conversation, does it not?" Ozpin asked.

"It does" Qrow answered.

"Interesting..." he mused aloud.

"Things aren't looking good, Oz"

"I know..."

* * *

The Haven headmaster sits at his desk in front of a blue holographic screen with the text "CALL END" before deactivating. Raven stands a few feet away from him, arms crossed and smiling.

"I still have questions for you" she said turning toward him.

"You're not alone in that" he replied bitterly.

Raven walked in front of his desk "You know, I never expected you would be the one to have the guts to betray Oz. Which makes me wonder, what does she have on you?" she asked curiously.

"I'm helping her for the same reason you are - I'm afraid. We... we can't stop her... no one can..." he explained.

"That's why I tried to leave when I did. I'm not afraid, I'm smart" she insisted.

"You can call it whatever you want, it doesn't really matter. We're here... helping her" he buried his face in his hands, sighing "I've crossed a line... I've done things that Ozpin will never forgive, and he shouldn't! I don't know where I go from here"

Raven placed her hands on his desk "Man up! You did what you had to do to survive, there is no shame in that"

"Who are you trying to convince?" he asked. Raven doesn't say anything, she just leaves the room while Lionheart sadly leans back sighing.

* * *

 **There we have it! Chapter Ten is already in the works and I will have it out ASAP, hopefully shorter waiting period between chapters this time around! Hope you guys liked it, and thank you guys again for your continued patience.**


	10. Knowledge

**Alright guys, here's Chapter Ten. Sorry for the delay, as with all the other things taking up my time right now I just turned twenty-one Saturday and of course that means I got hammered. The 107 fever I got the next day however was not as much fun. Yikes! Anyway, I managed to finish off this chapter this morning and figured I'd get it out to you guys. Be warned, I haven't looked it over as thoroughly as I usually do so spelling errors will more than likely be more prominent than usual. Hope you guys like it!**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing!**

"Speech"

 _Thoughts_

* * *

 **Chapter Ten: Knowledge**

The full moon illuminates the night sky above Haven Academy. On the school grounds, Qrow takes the lead as the currently present members of Team RWBY, the remaining members of Team JNPR, and Oscar follow close behind. Ruby stops and looks up to admire Haven's CCT tower, before following the rest of the group to a nearby building. They enter the building and are greeted by Lionheart, who is standing on a terrace at the top of the stairs that is being held up by a statue.

"Why hello. Thank you for... coming" he greeted nervously "There... seems to be more of you than last time" he adds with a nervous chuckle. Qrow and the rest of the group stop to look up at Lionheart.

"Eh, you know what they say, "The more the merrier" Qrow shrugged "So what's going on with the council?" he asked feigning curiosity.

"Why... did you bring your weapons?" Lionheart asked in surprise.

"What?" Qrow looked back at the group for a second before turning his attention back to Lionheart "Leo, we're Huntsmen" he answered confused "You okay?" he asked concerned.

"Of course! Of course, sorry. Just haven't had my evening coffee" he waved dismissively.

"Look, it's nice to see you, but we got work to do. Are we getting support from the council or not?" Qrow tried to move the conversation along.

While the two talk, Yang notices from the corner of her eye a black bird perched on a balcony railing "Mom?" she asked surprised. Everyone's attention is turned to the bird. It flies away just as Qrow shoots at it, but he misses. The bird flies down behind Lionheart, transforming into Raven, donning her mask. Everyone glares at her.

"Raven..." Ruby breathed out.

Raven removed her mask "If you're going to shoot me, shoot me. That was insulting"

"What are you doing here?!" Qrow asked displeased to see her there.

Raven made her way down the stairs as she answered "I could ask you the same thing. You've been scheming, little brother. Planning to attack your own sister"

"Leo... what have you done?!" he asked betrayed.

"I-" he tried to answer.

"Leo did what any sane person would in his position; he looked at all the information he had in front of him, assessed the situation, and made a choice. And it seems you all have too" she explained.

"You have the Spring Maiden" he pointed out angrily.

"I do" Raven admitted.

"Then hand her over and let's work together! We can beat Salem!" he tried to convince her.

"All that time spent spying for Ozpin and you still have no idea what you're dealing with. There is no beating Salem!" she argued.

"You're wrong" Ruby proclaimed as she stepped forward "We've done things that most people would call impossible, and I know the only reason we were able to do it is because we didn't do it alone! We had people to teach us, people to help us, we had each other. Work with us. At least I know we'll have a better chance if we try together. Please" Ruby holds her hand out. Raven glares at it.

"You sound just like your mother" Raven growled. Suddenly, Raven draws her sword and creates a portal with her Semblance. From the portal, a fireball is launched and hits Ruby square in her torso. She lands several feet back.

"Ruby!" Yang called in concern. While Yang runs to her little sister, Cinder Fall steps out of the portal.

"Hello boys and girls" She is then joined by Vernal, Emerald and Mercury as they too step out from the portal.

"Cinder..." Ruby glared with seething hatred

Cinder and her group line up alongside Raven, while the rest gasp in shock "C'mon guys, is that any way to greet your old friends?" Mercury asked feigning offense, causing Yang to growl at him

"Everybody, stay calm" Qrow ordered.

Suddenly they hear the doors behind them open up "Oh no..." Oscar gasped.

Hazel is seen closing the doors behind him as he enters "The White Fang is prepping demolition and securing the school grounds. No one's getting in, and no one's getting out"

Just outside the walls of Mistral, Slade could be seen leaving with his hood covering his face and a bottle in his hand as he approached the peak of a nearby hilltop. Stopping as he reached the top he turned to see the city behind him bustling with activity, he sighed with a shake of his head.

 _There's nothing to be gained back there. Stop second guessing yourself_ he told himself.

Slade looked down as he pulled out a small silver pocket watch from his coat and opened it up, there was a picture of his family on the inside behind the clock and a picture more recently placed on the opposite side of the watch with a picture of Team SHDW _I am doing what's best here... I cannot bear to see what happened to them happen to you and your friends, Yang. I'm sorry_ he closed the watch placing it back within his jacket before moving forward, he opened the bottle and began drinking from it. Finishing off the contents of the bottle, he stared at it as he continued to walk. Slade's expression changed to one of anger as he smashed the bottle against a nearby tree trunk.

"Pull it together, you idiot" he berated himself "You've been working alone this long, you'll be fine without her and she'll be fine without you... until... she isn't" he stopped in place before turning back toward Mistral one last time "You should've walked away when you had the chance, Yang... you've only brought this on yourself" he turned his back on the city for the last time and continued walking.

Back inside Haven, everyone watches Hazel slowly approach them. They turn their attention back to Cinder.

"This was all just a trap?" Weiss asked.

"It appears so" Ren answered disappointed.

"Raven, tell me... how long have you been with them?" Qrow asked with disappointment clear in his voice.

"Aww, don't take it personally, little bird. Your sister was a recent addition. The lion on the other hand... Entrance into the Vytal Festival was a real treat, Leonardo's been sending Salem all sorts of information for a very, very long time. Isn't that right, professor?" Cinder explained mockingly.

"Stop it" Lionheart pleaded shamefully.

"It was you... you sit on the Mistral Council. You had information on every Huntsman and Huntress in the Kingdom, and you gave it all to her?" Qrow asked in disbelief.

"I-"

"I couldn't find any of them, because you let her kill them!" he continued "Years ago... when we sent Slade after Salem's infiltrators... you told them he was coming didn't you? You're the reason they didn't stand a chance!" he shouted enraged causing Yang's anger to boil just thinking about his betrayal.

Lionheart doesn't say anything, only still having a sad expression on his face "Aw now, don't beat yourself up about it, Lionheart, I'm sure Tyrian and Hazel would've found them on their own eventually" Cinder assured him "Be honest with yourself, there's no way Slade's team would've survived regardless"

"What is wrong with you? How can you be so broken inside... to take so many lives, and then come here and rub it in our faces like it's something to be proud of?! Jaune asked as his anger continued to boil.

"Jaune-" Nora tried

"All with that damn smile on your face!" he yelled enraged as tears stream from his eyes.

The rest of the group draw their weapons "Everybody, stay calm!" Qrow restated.

Cinder just glares at Jaune "I'm gonna make you pay for what you did! Do you hear me?!" he yelled at her.

"Kid!" Qrow yelled.

"Well?! SAY SOMETHING!" he shouted taking a step forward.

After a short pause, Cinder replies "Who are you again?" mockingly.

Jaune transforms Crocea Mors to its two-handed form and advances forward. Cinder summons an obsidian scimitar and blocks Jaune's attack.

"Jaune!" Ruby yelled concerned, she leaps into the air, but a chain wraps around her and she is pulled to the ground by Emerald.

"You're not getting near her" she growled.

Jaune is then pushed back by Cinder and the two begin their duel. Yang runs forward to join the fight, but Mercury lands in front of her.

"Hey there, Blondie. I'm thinking you owe me an apology for my leg, don't ya think?" he taunted. Yang growls and uses Ember Celica to propel herself toward him.

"Take out the heiress. Don't bother wasting your power, she's not worth it" Raven ordered Vernal, she then draws her sword as Qrow uses Harbinger to lock blades with his sister.

"Running away was one thing, but this... you've crossed the line!" Qrow growled.

"Sorry, brother. Sometimes family disappoints you like that"

"We're not family anymore" he spat.

"Were we ever?" she asked solemnly.

"I thought so, but I guess I was wrong" The two then proceed with their fight, while Vernal confronts Weiss.

"Let's see what the Schnee name really means" Vernal draws her weapons, while Weiss holds Myrtenaster en garde.

"I'm more than a name"

"Hm, prove it"

Weiss activates a glyph below her and projects herself forward to fight the Spring Maiden. Meanwhile, Oscar sneaks up the stairs to Lionheart while Hazel confronts Ren and Nora, who hold up their weapons defensively.

"I don't wish to fight either of you" Hazel claimed in a bored tone.

"Nor I you" Ren replied.

"But we will if you're with her!" Nora shouted.

Hazel cracked his neck and knuckles "Very well, then" He proceeds forward. As Lionheart nervously watches the fights going on, he then notices Oscar walk up behind him.

"Young man, I don't know who you are or what you think you're doing, but for your sake, I suggest you leave. Now" Oscar defiantly remains stationary before taking a few more steps toward Lionheart "I'm warning you!" Lionheart holds out his wrist-mounted weapon, while Oscar prepares to draw something from behind him. "That's enough!" Lionheart rotates his weapon, having a glyph appear above it which then conjures a flaming rock that launches at Oscar, who holds out his arms in front of him defensively as the attack explodes. Oscar is unscathed, though his Aura shimmers. He continues to proceed up the steps and draws his cane. Lionheart's eyes widen in shock "Ozpin?"

"Not quite" Oscar smirked, he then proceeds forward as his attacks force Lionheart on the defensive. He manages to whack Lionheart back a few steps.

"This can't be... I knew you would be back, but... you made it here! You found Qrow! How?"

 _Leo... what happened to you?_ Ozpin wondered in disappointment.

"Wait. You can't have had this form for long. You're... not really Ozpin right now. Boy. Child. If I deliver you to Salem, she'll have to be pleased with me, and I can finally get out of all of this! I can finally be free!" Lionheart, now determined, preps his weapon again.

"What do I do?" Oscar asked Ozpin.

 _Fight_ he answered dryly, Oscar proceeds forward.

Meanwhile, Weiss leaps around on her glyphs, dodging Vernal's weapons as she throws them like boomerangs. Weiss is then forced on the defensive and creates a large ice wall. She then stabs Myrtenaster into the ground as her Arma Gigas summon crawls out of her glyph. Suddenly, a large beam destroys the ice wall as well as the Arma Gigas before it could be fully summoned. One of Vernal's weapons knocks Weiss back several feet.

Vernal spoke while catching her weapon "Don't think I'm going to let you take the easy way out" Elsewhere, Jaune is knocked to the ground.

Cinder chuckled "I'm starting to remember you, you're the dense one that can't tell when he's out of his league"

Jaune gets back up and clashes blades with Cinder again. Ruby watches them fight but is snapped out of her distraction by Emerald. She then transforms her weapons into their revolver forms and fires at Ruby, who twirls around Crescent Rose blocking Emerald's shots.

"Why are you doing this?! Salem's-" Ruby tried to ask.

"I don't care about Salem! But I owe Cinder everything. You want to fight her that bad? Be my guest" she answered.

Emerald then activates her Semblance, creating a wall of fire which Cinder emerges from and charges at Ruby. Suddenly, Cinder's form disappears, while Emerald trips Ruby. Ruby fires a bullet that narrowly misses Weiss, who is blocking Vernal's shots with Myrtenaster. Weiss attempts to summon, but Vernal is too quick and prevents her from doing so. Eventually, Weiss manages to launch Vernal out of the way and prepares to summon again. Suddenly, Vernal appears in front of her and lands an attack that depletes Weiss' aura. Weiss lets out a pained scream. Jaune hears this and looks in her direction as tears well up in his eyes.

"Are you going to let her die too?" Cinder asked mockingly.

"Stop messing with me!" he shouted back enraged.

"If that's what you want"

Cinder then ignites her scimitar, which is now fully coated in flames. Cinder and Jaune proceed forward to clash. Ruby looks behind her and notices this. She briefly thinks back to the moment when Pyrrha died, and her eyes start to shine bright again.

"NOOOOOOOOOO!" she yells A bright light engulfs the area but dies down when Ruby is knocked unconscious by Emerald.

Suddenly, Cinder falls to her knees, holding her arm in pain. She looks up, and barely misses Jaune's attack as it chips her mask that conceals the left side of her face. As Cinder moves out of the way, Jaune trips and falls. Cinder gets back up enraged, activating her Maiden power while doing so. She then steps on top of Jaune to hold him down.

"Did you think you actually had a chance against me?! You?!" Jaune struggles to reach for his weapon while Cinder calms herself and deactivates her Maiden power "You're just a failure with a death wish"

Jaune continued to struggle "If I die buying them time, then it's worth it. They're the ones that matter"

Cinder looks to Jaune's comrades as they fight against their respective foes, before smiling evilly back down to him "You think so?" She then notices Weiss get knocked back several feet away, and begins to slowly proceed toward her while she conjures an obsidian spear.

"No" he watches helplessly while Cinder continues to advance towards Weiss "NOOOOOOO!" he shouted.

Cinder throws the spear and it impales Weiss through her abdomen. She gasps in shock as everyone stops their fighting and stare in shock as well. The spear then disintegrates as Weiss goes motionless and slumps forwards.

"WEISS!" he screams.

Cinder smirks triumphantly. Jaune quickly gets up and runs past Cinder. Oscar watches Jaune approach and pick up the unconscious Weiss from his position. He then looks over to the unconscious Ruby. Angered, he smacks Leonardo with his cane, causing him to fall down the stairs and into Hazel , who remains unfazed as Lionheart falls to the ground. Oscar quickly runs over to Ruby, with Nora joining him.

"Ruby, get up! Get up! We need you!" he pleaded.

Hazel picks up Lionheart by his collar, lifting him off the floor "You're lettin' that boy make a fool of you"

"That's not just a boy! It's Ozpin" Hazel's eyes widen when he says this "He's already reincarnated!"

Hazel drops Lionheart and looks over to Oscar, who is still trying to nudge Ruby to wake her up. He then notices Ozpin's cane being held in the young farm boy's hand.

"Ozpin?" he asked in disbelief. Suddenly, the usual calm demeanor of Hazel slowly turns infuriated. Ruby stirs for a bit.

"Ruby! You-" Oscar tried.

 **"Ozpin!"** Hazel shouted enraged.

Oscar looks up _Oh no_ Ozpin gasped.

"You thought you could hide from **ME?!** " Hazel rips his coat off, and then grabs a pair of lightning Dust crystals from a couple of pouches on his legs. "You'll pay for what you did! You'll die over and over again! He stabs the lightning Dust into his arms, with his blood vessels turning yellow and popping out from his skin as well as having some lightning coat them. His eyes glow yellow, and he lets out an intimidating roar. Oscar slowly backs away, holding his cane up cautiously.

"Do- do we fight?" Oscar asked _No, run!_ Ozpin answered fearfully.

Hazel leaps forward to charge into Oscar, but Qrow gets him out of the way in time. Qrow transforms Harbinger into its scythe form while Cinder watches. Raven and Vernal walk to her sides.

"Ozpin is here?!" she asked angrily.

"Is that a problem?" Raven asked.

"I'm not sure, but right now we got the upper hand. Let's not waste it" she answered.

"You're afraid of little old Ozpin?" Raven smirked "He's in the body of a small boy" she chuckled.

"I'm not afraid of him" she growled "I'm the one who killed him last time"

Jaune uses his hands to apply pressure on Weiss' wound, while Ren holds her wrist checking her pulse "Ren, talk to me!" he ordered.

Ren sadly shook his head "This is bad"

Jaune's eyes widen in horror "No, no, no, no, not again! Weiss, c'mon, please!" Oscar dodges out of the way as Hazel slams his fist into the ground.

 _Oscar_ Ozpin pleaded.

"No!" Oscar dodges another attack from Hazel.

 _Oscar!_ he pleaded more urgently.

"I told you, no!" Oscar gets punched back by Hazel several feet into a column.

 _Please, let me take over! I can handle him!_ he begged.

"You told me I needed to fight for myself!" Oscar stood back up "So I will"

 _This is not your fight!_ Ozpin tried to explain.

"What does that mean? Why is he so upset with us?" he asked confused.

"He didn't tell you my tale, did he, boy?" Hazel asked as he approached Oscar menacingly "I thought you looked familiar, to think that evil was inside you when our paths first crossed" he holds his fists in the air "Your blood won't be on my hands, it'll be on his"

Qrow jumps in the way to block Hazel's attack, but he slams his fist into the ground, the shockwave knocking both him and Oscar back. They both get back up as Qrow engages Hazel.

"What was he talking about?" Oscar asked.

"Tell him, Ozpin! Tell him how you KILLED HER!" Hazel demanded.

"Her?"

 _Gretchen Rainart was Hazel's sister. Despite her brother's wishes, she enrolled at Beacon Academy to become a Huntress and tragically lost her life on a training mission. Hazel... holds me responsible. Please, let me fight. I know Hazel. He's wounded in a way that cannot be healed_ he explained.

"You know now!" he tossed Qrow aside easily "You can forgive me for what I'm about to do" he approached Oscar.

"Did she know?" Oscar asked stopping Hazel in place at his inquiry "Did she know the risk of being a Huntress?"

"She was only a child! She wasn't ready!" he answered.

"She made a choice! A choice to put others before herself!" holding his cane up defensively "So do I"

Hazel just glares at him "Then you've chosen death!" Oscar glares back, determined.

 _I'm sorry_

"What?" Oscar asked confused before his eyes suddenly glowed and his body falls to the ground as Ozpin takes over him. Ozpin looks up, and Hazel looks back at him, enraged.

" **OZZZZPIIIIIIIIN!** " he screeched in anger.

Meanwhile, Jaune and Ren continue tending to Weiss "She's hardly breathing. I... I don't know what we can do" Ren claimed horrified, The both of them look down to Weiss as she struggles to breathe, before suddenly stopping.

"No, it wasn't supposed to be like this! Please!" his voice breaking as he spoke "We can't lose anyone else" Jaune sadly closes his eyes. Suddenly, a faint shimmering sound is heard and a white aura starts to coat over Weiss' body. Weiss suddenly gasps for breath again.

Hazel and Ozpin fight each other intensely. Lionheart tries to intervene by launching another attack from his weapon, but is stopped by Qrow. The two of them fight each other, with Qrow blocking Lionheart's projectiles. Ozpin and Hazel engage against each other again. Hazel tries to smash him with his fists, but Ozpin is too fast for him. Eventually, Ozpin manages to knock Hazel down on all fours. Ozpin then twirls his cane and prepares to deliver the finishing blow, but Hazel roars and smashes his fists into the ground, creating another lightning shockwave. Meanwhile, Weiss starts to gasp and breathes normally again as the white aura encoating her continues to glow.

"Huh? Wha- what's happening?" Jaune asked.

"Weiss!" Ruby called as Nora helped Ruby up on her feet, who then quickly runs over to her teammate's side "What happened? What's going on?!" Ruby asked concerned.

"I think she's going to be okay! She seems to be stabilizing" he claimed with a smile.

With Weiss breathing again, Ruby smiles, relieved that her friend's life is not endangered anymore. Ruby then hears her sister struggling, she looks over her shoulder to see Yang getting knocked back by Mercury. Yang charges forward, but Mercury's form disappears as a result of another one of Emerald's Semblance hallucinations. Emerald then creates an image of Raven, which Yang is hesitant to attack. Yang then blocks another attack from Mercury, but she is then knocked down again. Ruby then looks over to Oscar fighting Hazel, with the latter's attack becoming too wild and unpredictable for the young boy. Oscar is then hit by one of Lionheart's projectiles and holds his shoulder in pain. Hazel is about to punch at Oscar again, but Qrow pushes Oscar out of the way and takes the blow in his back, launching him upwards. Ruby then lifts Jaune's hands up to see that Weiss' wound has closed.

"Whatever you're doing, don't stop!" She ordered.

"I won't" he spoke with determination.

"Good. Oscar needs help"

"I'm on it" Ren prepared to fight.

"Jaune and Weiss still need cover! Ruby yelled.

Nora approaches his side holding Magnhild "No one's gonna touch 'em" she smiled confidently.

Ruby smiled back "Okay, make it happen, RNJR!"

Ruby stands back up, transforming Crescent Rose into its scythe form and flips over. She lands to her sister's side, knocking Emerald back. Emerald's Semblance copies of Mercury then disappear, reforming back into the main Mercury.

"Thanks, sis" she stood back up "You okay?" she asked concerned.

"No, I'm angry" she answered before proceeding forward.

Ruby and Yang face off against Emerald and Mercury. The sisters switch positions and leap forward to take on their opponents. Yang knocks into Emerald while Ruby takes on Mercury. He uses his left boot to kick Crescent Rose out of her hands.

"Uh oh, what're you gonna do now?" he asked sarcastically.

Mercury tries to throw a left cross, but Ruby ducks and headbutts him upwards - in a similar manner to what Ozpin taught her what to do. Mercury steps a few feet backwards and holds his nose in pain, before growling at Ruby.

Ruby picked up Crescent Rose "Whatever it takes to shut you up"

Meanwhile, Nora holds Magnhild up defensively protecting Jaune, who is still healing Weiss "You guys doing okay?" Nora asked.

"I- I think so. She's coming to. I just wish this would go faster" he said impatiently.

"How about you don't complain and just be thankful you unlocked your Semblance when you did" Nora pointed out.

"My Semblance?" Jaune asked confused.

"How else do you think you're healing her, dummy?" she asked like as if it was obvious.

Jaune stares back at her in disbelief before looking back down at Weiss "No. I don't think I'm healing her. Our Aura heals our bodies. It feels... it feels more like I'm using my Aura to amplify hers!"

"Wait, aren't you worried about running out?" Nora asked concerned.

"Pyrrha once told me I've got a lot of it. I still believe her" he explained confidently.

Suddenly, Weiss opens up her eyes, stirring "Jaune?" she asked surprised.

Nora smiles before standing guard again. Meanwhile, Lie Ren is taking on Hazel, who punches the former back into the wall. Hazel then launches an electrical charge from his lightning-Dust enhanced arm, electrocuting Ren, causing him to scream in pain before falling to the ground.

"Ren!" Nora called concerned.

"Go! I've got her!" Jaune ordered, Nora nods at him before proceeding forward

"Jaune... what's happening?" Weiss asked confused.

"You took a heavy hit, you need to stay with me while the others fight" Jaune explained.

"That's..." she sighed "Annoying"

"Heh, good to have you back, Weiss" he smiled down at her.

Meanwhile, Qrow is knocked back into the wall and then falls to the ground next to the downed Ren, who struggles to get back up as well. Oscar Pine uses his cane to block flaming rocks being fired from Leonardo's weapon.

Hazel charges forward and punches Oscar several feet back "Hiding behind the face of a child? A monster like you must be stopped!" Hazel shouted.

Nora charges at Hazel with a loud battle cry. She leaps into the air, but Hazel catches Magnhild and slams Nora into the ground. Hazel then grabs Nora's head, electrocuting her with his lightning Dust-enhanced arms. She screams out in pain "How many more children must die for you?!" he asked angrily. Suddenly, Nora grabs Hazel's wrist "Huh?"

Nora, inadvertently enhanced by Hazel's electricity thanks to her Semblance, stands back up and flips him over her shoulder. He rolls back several feet away. Nora then holds Magnhild up defensively, before Ozpin gets her attention.

"His Semblance... he can block out pain. It's how he is able to handle injecting so much Dust into his body" Ozpin explained to Nora.

Nora stares back at Hazel, who stands back up "I don't need him to hurt..." she says darkly as Hazel screams and charges forward again "I just need him to GO DOWN!" she yelled.

As Hazel nears her, Nora preps to swing Magnhild. She then swings her hammer right into Hazel's chest, her counterattack launching him into the closed doors, he slammed into them and fell forward onto his knees as he struggled to catch his breath.

"Gotcha!" Nora yelled triumphantly.

"Not quite" Hazel growled as he stood back up "It's gonna take more than that to take me down" he embedded red dust shards into his arms "Now the real fight begins" he charged forward easily knocking Nora out of his path as he continued toward Ozpin.

Yang and Mercury fought, trading blows before Emerald tied her arms together with her weapon's chains "Yang!" Ruby called prepared to help only to have Hazel grab her by her hood and toss Ruby aside.

"Ruby!" Yang called concerned as she was forced to her knees.

"Eyes up here, Blondie" Mercury laughed as he kicked his boot toward her face, a gunshot rang out from it, Yang closed her eyes preparing for the hit. She was surprised when it never came, she slowly opened her eyes to see Mercury's boot caught in the hand of the last person she expected to see.

"You alright?"

"Y-yeah" she answered shocked.

"What're you doing here?!" Mercury growled angrily.

"What I should've been doing from the beginning"

"S-Slade?" Ruby asked confused as she caught a glimpse of him.

"That's right" he chuckled "It's time someone showed you how a real Huntsmen fights" he twisted Mercury's boot around before slamming his own into his back throwing him through the air, into Emerald, knocking her over. Yang freed herself as Emerald lost focus, standing up with a grin on her face.

"I knew it"

"Don't act like you knew I was gonna be here, I only decided to come save your ass minutes ago" he replied indignantly.

"Oz!" Qrow called with concern as Hazel pulled his fist back while he charged toward him to strike, Slade flew past Yang and Ruby stopping in front of Ozpin as he came closer. Slade pulled his hand up to catch his fist as he struck sliding back a few inches as the ground crumbled beneath his heels. Hazel looked on in shock of his strength, unaware his Semblance was the only reason he was able to take the strike, having used it to slow down Hazel's momentum enough for him to handle.

"You'll have to do better than that" he chuckled, angering Hazel.

Releasing Hazel allowed him to strike with his opposite hand, Slade slammed his fist into his neck stumbling him then his abdomen before slamming his elbow up into his face, throwing Hazel backward as he rolled to a nearby pillar. Slade appeared in front of him before he could even move, twisting violently before kicking Hazel in the face through the pillar and into the wall behind him.

"Hazel!" Cinder called in shock.

Hazel quickly got back up charging Slade angrily, swinging for his head as he ducked under his arm. Slade slammed his fist into his abdomen then took a step back to avoid another strike before striking Hazel in the face twice causing him to stumble. Slade jumped back as Hazel swung his arm to avoid the attack then flipped over his back and rolled forward as he rammed his shoulder toward Slade. Hazel slowly approached him with his hands up defensively, he stuck forward as Slade ducked around it and struck for his abdomen. Hazel slammed his knee into Slade's face, then his fist into his chest just as Slade blocked the second strike with his gauntlets before being thrown backward by the force of the strike, rolling back to his feet.

"Not bad" he spit to his left.

Hazel charged forward as Slade grabbed the splintered fragments of wood from the broken pillar in his hands and threw them in his face, disorienting him. Slade then jumped forward and slammed both of his boots into his abdomen, landing on his back before rolling backward into a standing position. Slade then rushed forward as Hazel fell to his knees, he held up his hands in front of his face defensively. Slade flipped forward and kicked him in the back of the head before rolling into the landing away from him.

"Stop running away and fight me!" Hazel shouted.

"You asked for it" Slade smirked.

Slade charged forward jumping toward him and kicking Hazel in the abdomen as he spun through the air kicking him twice more before using his hand to catch himself and punching Hazel in the face as his fist came up to hit him. Slade stepped to the side slamming his fist into Hazel's side twice before rolling behind him to his left as his fist came back down to strike him. Slade slammed both of his fists into Hazel's back ducking under his arms as he spun around to strike him and tilted his head back to avoid a third strike.

Stepping forward he ducked his head to the left as Hazel struck slamming his fist into his side's between dodging attacks as Hazel continued to try and land a hit on him. Slade sidestepped the final strike before smashing his right fist into Hazel's side and his left into his face stumbling him back. Ducking under another strike he uppercut Hazel then punched him in the abdomen twice before slamming his right boot into his chest. Slade jumped up grabbing Hazel's head and pulling it down, slamming his knee into his face before receiving a fist to his face, throwing Slade backward as he slid to a stop.

"He's awesome!" Nora shouted enthusiastically.

"Why do you think I told you he was one of our best?" Qrow asked with a smirk "He's not even using his Semblance, he's just toying with Hazel"

Slade quickly hopped from one foot to the other, left and right as he approached Hazel confusing him enough to miss his strike. Slade slammed his fist into his abdomen then planted his hands onto the ground and raising his right leg backward to kick him in the face before sliding behind him and grabbing his arm to slam Hazel over his shoulder and into the ground. Hazel rolled away from his as he slammed his boot down toward his face, Slade then kicked again for his chest only to have him catch his leg in his hand. Slade picked up his other leg as Hazel slammed his elbow down toward his leg, and kicked his fist into his own chest, knocking Hazel back and winding the man.

"Leo!" Cinder called "Open the vault" she ordered frantically.

Leonardo quickly opened the path to the vault as Raven, Vernal and Cinder all stepped onto the platform and descended into the vault.

"No!" Qrow shouted angrily.

Hazel sprinted toward Slade, leaping into the air and kicking for his face. Slade dropped onto his knees as he soared overhead. Turning around quickly he slammed his fist down as Slade rolled away from him. Slade leapt back from the ground and punched him in the face and kicked him in the abdomen before catching himself on the ground and upercutting him as he turned slamming his boot into Hazel's abdomen once more. Slade jumped up slamming both of his elbows into Hazel's shoulders, dropping him onto his knees. Hazel grabbed Slade around the abdomen, he slammed his elbows into Hazel's back before being lifted into the air, he slammed his knee into his abdomen as Hazel slammed him onto his back.

Hazel struck for his head as Slade blocked with his gauntlets then punched him in the face before blocking two more and rolling onto his side. Slade elbowed Hazel in the face before punching him with his opposite fist as he rolled back and pushed himself out from underneath Hazel. Flipping backward he slammed his boots into Hazel's face, throwing him onto his back.

"I'm not impressed" Slade shook his head as he crossed his arms "I'd have thought one of Salem's servants would be tougher. I haven't even used my Semblance yet" he taunted.

"You little-"

"Augh!" Ruby yelled being thrown by Mercury's kick to her chest.

"Ruby!" Yang yelled concerned.

"Looks like my friends need some assistance" Slade pointed out before slamming his boot into Hazel's face, throwing him onto his back once more "Stay down would you?" he asked with a smirk.

"C'mon, Blondie" Mercury chuckled "Let's dance" he gestured for Yang to attack him as he stepped into his battle stance.

Yang growled stepping toward him, she stopped short as Slade stood by her side "You'll be dealing with both of us" he crossed his arms over his chest. Yang grinned with a nod toward him as she prepared to attack.

"Two against one?" Mercury asked surprised "I thought you Huntsmen liked fighting fair"

"They do" Slade answered "Unfortunately for you, I'm not a real Huntsman"

"If that's how you want to play it" Mercury chuckled.

Yang leapt toward him only to be knocked away by his right leg slamming into her chest, throwing her backward considerably. Slade turned to catch her before she could be hurt but was stopped as Mercury leapt toward him, striking Slade across the face with his fist. Slade backhanded him quickly as he focused on his opponent, Mercury twisted around kicking Slade's gauntlet before being stuck in the face by Slade's opposite fist. Slade wrapped his arm around his neck, keeping him trapped in his grip as he suffocated.

Mercury fired his boots to the left simultaneously, propelling them both to the right, slamming his fist into Slade's chest as they made contact with the ground. Quickly pinning Slade to the ground by his throat, Mercury began relentlessly striking him in the face only for Slade to easy block the strikes with his gauntlets. Yang leapt toward them, clasping both hands together to strike his back, knocking Mercury off of Slade. Mercury fired his left boot at Yang as he slid to a stop forcing her to block the round with her prosthetic arm.

Mercury quickly stood as Slade rose to his feet charging Yang and swinging his right leg toward her face. Yang ducked beneath his leg, placing herself behind him as he turned to face her again, slamming her metal fist into his face and kicking him in the chest pushed him back toward Slade as he backhanded Mercury once again. Yang swung her fist toward his face once more as he recovered from Slade's attack using his own hand to push Yang's fist away from him before blocking Slade's with his opposite hand. Yang kicked the back of Mercury's left knee dropping him down onto it as Slade slammed his opposite fist into his face. Yang slammed her metal fist into his gut, knocking the wind out of him before his face crashed into the ground from the force of Slade's strike to his head. Mercury then fired both his boots at Slade, throwing him backward into the nearby pillar.

Yang punched him in the face as he stood before being struck across the face twice in retaliation. Blocking Mercury's next strike with her arm she then pushed his arm away from her with the elbow of her opposite arm as she spun to elbow him in the face only to meet his forearm instead. Mercury struck for her chest only to have Yang catch his arm before slamming her metal fist into his chest throwing him backward with the strike into Slade's grip around the back of his neck slamming him into the ground.

"I'd stay down if I were you" Slade advised.

"Nice to see we can still work together so well" Yang pointed out with a small smile.

"Imagine if we actually practiced" he chuckled. Slade's expression changed to a serious one as he caught sight of the entrance to the vault lying open "Someone needs to get down there, we cannot allow Cinder to get away with one of the relics"

"None of us could stand against Cinder and my mother at the same time alone, not to mention the Spring Maiden is with them-"

"It doesn't matter who goes down there, they just need to keep them occupied long enough for the rest of us to wrap up here. I get the feeling Raven and Cinder aren't exactly the best of friends, it shouldn't be too hard to turn them against each other-"

"Slade!" Ruby shouted just as he caught sight of Hazel charging toward him from the corner of his eye. Hazel roared angrily as he slammed into Slade, his rage quickly changed to confusion as he felt nothing, instead passing right through Slade as if he wasn't even there.

"Nice" Yang smirked as Hazel tumbled to the floor from his own momentum.

Using his Semblance, Slade lifted Hazel into the air and threw him into the front door to the room they stood in smashing through it with tremendous force onto the academy's quad. Adam Taurus and White Fang soldiers look on "What's going on in there?" one of them asked Adam.

"None of your concern..." Hazel answered from his place on the floor.

Adam and his followers stare in amazement as they watch Hazel get back up. He then takes out a pair of red Dust crystals and stabs them into his arms. He lets out another roar as Ruby watches from inside the building. She then looks back to her friends and allies, all of them looking tired and worn out from the battle they've endured with the exclusion of Slade, having only recently joined the battle.

"More Dust?" Slade asked exasperated.

"Stay focused! Our friends are almost done here" Adam ordered.

"ADAM!" a voice calls out to him as they returned to work.

They all look up and see Blake standing proudly on top of the roof of a nearby building "Blake?" Adam asked confused.

"Who is that?" Hazel asked in slight annoyance.

"Stand down!" she ordered.

The White Fang soldiers aim their firearms at her "Wait!" Adam ordered putting his hands up as the White Fang soldiers stand down, before laughing evilly "To think that I went through so much trouble to find you, only to have you deliver yourself to me"

"This isn't what's right for the Faunus! Stop what you're doing and we can end this peacefully" she pleaded.

"You're wrong, Blake, and you can't stop us" he replied.

"No, I can't. Not by myself" she admitted.

"That's why she didn't come alone!" Sun called out.

Adam and his followers turn to the left in surprise, seeing Sun Wukong standing in front of a massive legion of Faunus all armed with blunt weaponry, their shields bearing the old White Fang symbol "What?!" Adam shouted in surprise

"Who's there?" one of his men asked.

They then turn to the right, and see Ghira leading another massive legion of Faunus "Your brothers and sisters" Ghira answered

One of the White Fang Soldiers lowers his weapon, recognizing one of the Faunus in the crowd "M- Mata?" he asked in shock.

Mata is in the crowd holding a club and shield "Please... stop this..." she pleaded

Adam and his followers look all around them assessing the situation "Make no mistake, brothers! These are our enemies! And we will not let them ruin-" Suddenly, Adam is interrupted when a Mistral airship shines its searchlight down on Adam and his group. The Mistral police captain is seen on the airship with Kali.

"Adam Taurus, this is the Mistral Police Force! Lower your weapons and surrender peacefully" the captain ordered over a P.A.

More Mistral airships arrive. Back inside, Ruby knocks Emerald back a few feet. Emerald then hears the sounds of the Mistral airships as their searchlights shine through the windows. Everyone stops what they are doing. Weiss leans up as Jaune continues healing her.

"What's happening?" she asks

"I'm not sure. How are you feeling?" he asks concerned.

Weiss sat up "Better" Weiss activates a summoning Glyph in her hand "Much better. Keep it up"

Back outside, Blake lands to the ground from the roof "How?! How did you do this?!" Adam asked enraged.

"Adam, it's over" Blake replied, ignoring his question.

Adam looks around as the crowds of Menagerie Faunus get closer to him and his group. He then pulls out a detonator "Then it's over for all of us" he yelled.

"Hey wait!" one of his followers shouted in shock. Adam's followers hold up their arms as they brace for the impending explosion. Adam presses the button, but nothing happens.

"Huh?" He presses the detonator button a few more times, nothing happens.

"What are you doing? Trying to get us all killed?!" one of his followers asked angrily.

Suddenly, Adam grabs his collar enraged "I am making humanity pay for WHAT THEY'VE DONE!" Adam let's go and pushes the White Fang soldier back when Blake speaks.

"We sent someone over to confirm your explosives, and once we did, she disarmed them" Blake explained.

Ilia walks out from around the tower, dropping her black camouflage as she holds the wires in her hand that disabled the bombs. Adam seethes, realizing that the situation is no longer in his favor.

"What do we do?!" Adam asked Hazel frantically.

Hazel cracked his knuckles "This... is your business. Not mine. Fix it" he answered. Adam just glares back at him before turning to Blake.

"I told you, Adam. It's over..." Blake called out again.

Adam, not having any of it, yells out in frustration and charges forward toward Blake. He takes out Wilt from Blush to slash at her, but Blake uses her Semblance to get out of the way and she knocks him down by balling her fists together and hitting his back. Adam falls to the ground on his knees, before yelling out to his followers.

"KILL THEM!"

And thus, the battle between both Faunus groups begin. The White Fang soldiers draw their weapons and attempt to fire at the Mistral airships. Sun leaps around twirling Ruyi Bang and Jingu Bang in its staff form, while Ilia fights with her whip. Hazel observes the situation in front of him but is then suddenly impaled by a white, glowing stinger. He is then pulled back inside the building and sits up to see that Weiss is back on her feet with a summoned Queen Lancer flying above her. As she prepares to fight again, she gasps as she notices someone entering the building. Yang and Ruby look back as well and gasp when they see Blake, her eyes widening as she sees all of her teammates in the same place.

"Yang?" Blake asked in shock

Yang stares back at her in disbelief, before her sister snaps her out of her trance.

"Yang! Go!" Ruby shouted pointing in the direction of the vault entrance.

The ground suddenly shook violently, causing everyone to stumble slightly from the tremors managing to gain their footing as they came to a stop "That doesn't sound good" Slade noted as Yang ran toward the entrance, Emerald and Mercury try to stop her.

"No!" Emerald yells trying to stop Yang, but fails to and falls to the ground thanks to Slade's Semblance pulling her legs out from under her. Mercury grabs her prosthetic arm. Yang's eyes briefly turn red before turning back to normal. She detaches her arm and continues forward, causing Mercury to lose his balance for a bit. She jumps down the hole leading to the vault. Emerald and Mercury attempt to give chase, but they are stopped by an ice wall that suddenly appears in front of them. They turn around and see Weiss with her Queen Lancer summon as she prepares to fight the both of them. Jaune watches from his position and smiles. Ruby then turns back around to look at Blake, and both nod at each other as she goes back outside to join the battle.

"I take it that's Ms. Belladonna?" Slade asked Ruby as she prepared to fight next to him.

"Yeah, I'm as shocked to see her here as anyone" she answered.

"I'm not shocked, I knew she was coming" Slade smirked.

"What? How-" the ground shook once more stumbling everyone in the room.

"Nevermind! We need to get down there and help Yang, Raven and Cinder are able to fight on a whole different scale than her and she's alone with only one arm" Slade explained.

"You can pass through people and you're one of the strongest fighters we have right now. We can get you in there" Weiss said as she joined them.

"Sounds like a plan" Ruby smirked.

"Easy enough" he agreed.

"Then let's get to it" Qrow said joining the three of them with Harbinger pointed in Hazel's direction.

They charged toward their enemies with determination. Ruby swung Crescent Rose toward Emerald clashing her own weapon with hers as Weiss's blade clashed with Mercury's boot. Hazel brushed Qrow aside easily, having seen through their plan and attacked Slade. Holding his palm up toward Hazel, Slade used his Semblance to throw him backward into a nearby pillar. Turning toward Mercury and Emerald he rushed toward them, slamming his fist into Mercury's chest forced him to drop onto his knee's releasing Yang's prosthetic arm into Slade's hand. Twisting around with it in hand he backhanded Emerald with the metal arm before rushing toward the vault entrance.

"No!" Mercury yelled pinned to the ground by Weiss's heel as Ruby caught Emerald into a chokehold using Crescent Rose "You're too slow" Weiss smirked. Slade leapt down the entrance following after Yang just as another tremor tore through the building.

* * *

Raven stood looking over the edge of the path leading to the relic as Cinder's body plummeted, slowly freezing solid as she descended "Thank you, Vernal" she whispered shutting her eyes deactivating her Maiden power.

Turning toward the vault door with the relic sitting behind it she slowly approached, a look of determination adorning her features. Placing her hand onto the door of the vault as her Maiden power activating once more, caused the door to become covered with light blue leafy vine symbols from top to bottom glistening brightly. Removing her hand from the door, Raven leaned toward the door, cautiously listening to the low hum emanating from it. She quickly jumped back grabbing the hilt of her blade in response to the door clanging loudly, the door opened quickly, the individual petals of the flower shaped outline retracting into the base before it shifted into the frame of the door. Raven's Maiden power deactivated once more as she relaxed, releasing her grip on her blade. Looking into the vault she spotted the relic not too far away but was confused by the appearance of an entire desert surrounding it, she began to step through the doorway.

"I knew you were hiding something" Slade's voice said from behind her, causing Raven's eyes to widen in shock at how close he had gotten without her noticing. Raven twisted around striking her arm up toward his face only to crash into his gauntlet matching her strike perfectly, stopping her arm in place. Suddenly, a combat knife slid out from his sleeve into his hand thrusting it toward her face as his arm easily glided over her own from their position. Raven unsheathed her blade, barely managing to block the blade mere inches from her face, she could feel the chill on her cheeks from the metal. Slade pulled his arm back and tucked his opposite arm beneath hers before bringing it back up and trapping her arm in his grip with his other arm. Slamming his foot up toward her face caused her to use her blade to block the attack as his opposite foot came up with the strike pushing the blade away from her face. Using his other foot he slammed his boot into her face, using her arm to balance himself in the air pushing himself upward.

Raven managed to get her footing before slicing her blade at him forcing Slade to flip over it to avoid the attack. Twisting her blade around she swung back toward him as he descended to the ground, he flipped again managing to get over her blade before placing his left hand onto the back of her armor getting a firm grip as he planted his feet on the ground. Slade pulled Raven by her armor and thrashed her around forcing the blade from her hand and throwing her back away from the open vault door, she rolled to her feet painfully. Raven's blade embedded into the ground as she stopped, forming lightning into her hand as she activated her Maiden power. Raven charged forward grabbing her blade as the lightning chained to the blade and swung at Slade.

"Stop!" Yang shouted as she struck.

Raven was stuck in place just as her blade was inches away from Slade's neck, he stood unfazed by her assault looking toward Yang "Took you long enough to get down here, I came in after you and I still arrived first. Slade stepped around Raven approaching Yang with her Prosthetic arm tucked in his coat, he removed it, holding it out toward her "I believe this belongs to you"

Yang accepted her arm back from him before turning her attention back to her mother "Thank you... Where's Cinder?" she asked quietly as she noticed Vernal's corpse on the floor between them.

"She fell" Slade answered with a smirk "Mommy dearest froze her after throwing her over the edge" he explained further.

Yang nodded in understanding "I watched from afar to see what she would do with Vernal dead... I didn't know she was going to be the Spring Maiden" she sighed.

"That's why I arrived first" Slade chuckled "Guess it doesn't really matter now" Slade released Raven from his Semblance allowing her to move once again.

Raven turned to face Yang as she sheathed her blade once more, deactivating her Maiden power "I warned you, Yang. I gave you every opportunity to walk away from Qrow and Oz. So you can believe me when I say this wasn't personal"

"You opened the vault" Yang pointed out with a glare.

"Thanks to the chaos you and your friends caused upstairs. I knew you could handle it. You're my daughter after all"

"Qrow and Oz told me how the Maiden powers are transferred. The girl you found... she would've had to have trusted you if you were in her final thoughts, cared about you a lot" Yang concluded.

"I'm sure they told you plenty, and you just sat and obeyed" Raven rolled her eyes.

No, I'm starting to ask questions like you said. So tell me... what happened to the last Spring Maiden? Did she die in battle? Was it sickness?" she asked accusingly.

"What does it matter to you?" Raven asked.

Yang's eyes widened "I can already see the answer. It's all over your face. How could you?!" she asked in disbelief.

"She was scared when we found her! Weak. No matter how much training I put her through, she never learned! She wasn't cut out for this world! And with those powers, she would've been hunted her entire life! What I did-" Raven explained defensively.

"Wasn't personal" Yang quoted.

"It was mercy!"

"Which is it, Mom? Are you merciful, or are you a survivor? Did you let me walk into that trap because you knew I could handle it, or because it meant you could get what you wanted?!" Yang yelled angrily.

"It's not that simple. You don't know me, you don't know what I've been through, the choices I've had to make!"

"You're right. I don't know you. I only know the Raven Dad told me about. She was troubled, and complicated, but she fought for what she believed in, whether it was her team or her tribe! Did you kill her too?" Raven's eyes widen and looked away, before turning back to face her daughter again only to see her eyes widened in shock. Slade watched the two intently, unsure if it would be better for him to speak up or bite his tongue. Eventually he decided the latter was the better option.

"I've stared death in the face over and over again!" in her anger, her Maiden power activated with a flare "And every time I've spat in that face and survived, because I'm strong enough to do what others won't!"

"Oh, shut up! You don't know the first thing about strength! You turn your back on people, you run away when things get too hard, you put others in harm's way instead of yourself!" she balls her hand into a fist, shaking "You might be powerful, but that doesn't make you strong"

 _She's got you there_ Slade stifled a laugh

Raven was enraged "Who do you think you are, lecturing me?! Standing there, shaking like a scared little girl?!"

"Yeah, I'm scared. But I'm still standing here!" she begins approaching Raven "I'm not like you, I won't run, which is why you're going to give me the Relic"

"And why would I-"

"Because you're afraid of Salem! And if you thought having Maiden powers put a target on your back, imagine what she'll do when she finds out you have a Relic" Raven turns away, seething "She'll come after you with everything she has" Raven's expression then turns solemn "Or she can come after me" Raven's eyes widen when she hears her daughter say that, before turning back to her "And I'll be standing there, waiting for her"

After a tense moment, Raven deactivates her Maiden powers "You don't want to do this, Yang" she said somberly.

"Nope. But I'm gonna do it anyway"

Yang walks forward, bumping her mother out of the way as she passes her. Raven looks down before turning to see her daughter approach the Relic chamber. A tear drips from Raven's eye.

"I..." holding her arm as tears well up in her eyes "I'm sorry..."

Tears well up in Yang's eyes as well "Yeah... Me too"

Yang then hears the sound of one of Raven's portals as well as the sound of flapping wings from behind her. She looks behind her and sees a black feather fall gently to the ground with Slade silently staring at Raven's previous position. Yang proceeds forward and enters the Relic chamber, She approaches the Relic of Knowledge, an ornate, gold and cyan lamp, as it rests on the stone pedestal. Yang grabs the Relic by its handle, and small, indistinct whispers can be heard when near it. Tears then stream from Yang's eyes, before she falls to her knees as she breaks down crying.

Yang felt a hand on her shoulder, she turned to see Slade staring back at her, his hood and mask finally removed "I'm sorry you had to go through that, Yang"

"It's alright... I'm used to disappointment by now" she replied wiping her tears away.

"That doesn't make it any easier" Slade sighed "Trust me, no matter how many times people let you down. It only gets harder"

"Why?" she asked confused "Wouldn't it get easier the more it happens?"

"No... the more you're let down, the harder it is to trust people, and when you finally do trust someone again, when they let you down... it's worse than the last time someone did" he explained.

"I..."

"You don't have to say anything, Yang. I can't imagine what you're going through right now, though I can sympathize"

Yang grabbed Slade into a hug "Thank you" was all she said as another tear streamed down her face. Slade wrapped his arms around her protectively.

"It's going to be alright" he whispered as he rubbed her back soothingly "I promise it'll be alright"

* * *

Yang and Slade ascended the vault using the elevator with the relic in Slade's right hand, as the elevator came to a stop they took in the scene around them. Emerald looks at them in surprise as Cinder didn't come back up.

"Yang" Ruby smiled with her friends joining her soon afterward.

Hazel seethes while tears stream from Emerald's eyes. Yang smiles back down to her friends and shares a brief glance with Blake, who looks down for a bit before looking back up to her. Emerald falls to her knees and begins to sob. Mercury and Hazel slowly back away "Emerald, get up, we need to go" Mercury said urgently.

Emerald shakes her head and remains stationary "Emerald!"

Emerald looks around as her breathing gets frantic. She holds her head and lets out a loud scream, activating her Semblance. Suddenly, the room turns dark as black smoke rises from the ground nearby. From it, a giant effigy of Salem, limbs bent and deformed, towers above everyone in the room. The giant Salem opens her eyes, and lets out an ear-piercing scream as it swoops down over everyone. The room is blanketed with darkness for a short time. Afterwards, everything returns to normal, Ruby shakes in fear as she comes to terms with what she had just witnessed. Everyone in the room is still present, with the exception of Emerald, Mercury and Hazel, who have disappeared.

"Wha- what was that?" Blake asked in shock.

"An illusion. But an accurate one. That... was Salem" Ozpin answered through Oscar.

Slade scowled "Was hoping that face would never spoil my view again" he sighed.

"What happened?" Qrow asked as Yang and Slade descended the stairs.

"I don't know exactly. When I got down there, Cinder was gone, and Vernal was dead" Yang answered.

"And Raven?"

"Gone"

"Well, we're all glad you're still here, firecracker" he said placing an assuring hand on her shoulder.

"From what I caught while I was there, Raven is the Spring Maiden and she defeated Cinder before opening the door to the relic. Unfortunately she escaped with the help of her Semblance" Slade explained.

"I can't believe it-" Qrow sighed with a shake of his head but was interrupted by Ruby falling to her knees, Weiss caught her.

"Are you okay?" she asked concerned.

"I feel like I should be asking you guys" Ruby sighed. They both look up to see Blake approaching them. Yang walks over and drops to her sister's side "So Blake, what're you doing here?" Ruby asked curiously.

"I... I was gonna ask you three the same thing" she answered with a small smile.

Ruby, Weiss, and Yang, share glances with each other "That's... a looooong story"

"Well... I'm not going anywhere" Blake replied.

"That's all that matters" Ruby giggled "That we're all here together. Right?"

Ruby looks to Yang as she says that. Blake briefly looks away with a sorrowful expression on her face. Yang looks up at her and smiles "Yeah"

Blake looks back over to them and smiles. Weiss offers a hand out to her, and she eagerly joins in to Team RWBY's first group hug after a long time of being apart. The four girls embrace each other while their friends look on smiling. Slade watched the four of them with a broad smile on his face, despite his reservations about helping them, the happiness he saw in front of him told him he made the right choice.

Qrow then approaches a panting Oscar, who is kneeling on the ground "I don't know how, but we did it, Oz. You okay?" he asked.

"I'm alright" Oscar replied.

"Kid?" Qrow asked surprised he was speaking to Oscar.

"He's resting. Too much energy fighting" he explained.

"Hey, wizard, don't strain yourself!" Qrow warned concerned.

"No! He had... a message..." taking a few more breaths "We must... get the lamp to... Atlas" Oscar groans and falls, but Qrow catches him.

Slade stood over them with a look of contempt the relic still in his grip, he looked down at the cane next to them and growled at the sight of it "I knew I recognized that thing"

"Slade-"

"How long were you going to keep that from me if I stuck around? Did you think I wouldn't find out?" Slade asked accusingly.

"I wasn't going to tell you because I didn't think you'd stick around, I thought you'd leave the minute you got what you wanted" Qrow explained.

"You would've told me had I stuck around then?" Slade asked raising his eyebrow knowingly.

"Honestly I don't know if I would've told you, I was concerned you'd try and kill the kid if you found out Oz was in there-"

"You thought I would kill a fourteen year old?" Slade asked shocked "What kind of a monster do you think I am? I became a Bounty Hunter I didn't join a cult to murder children"

"I-"

"Do you really think so poorly of me that you think I would've hurt Oscar because Ozpin is in there too? You should know by now I'm not the vengeful type"

"Prove it" Qrow replied standing up, looking him dead in the eyes.

"How?" Slade asked never averting his gaze.

"The relic" Qrow answered holding his hand out to him.

Slade looked down at the lamp in his hand "First you don't trust me about Ozpin and now you wont trust me with the relic?" he asked "You're not helping your situation, I'm not here for you-"

"Then why did you come back?" Qrow asked "You didn't even need to be involved and yet here you are... the past year you've only done things when you were getting paid to do them and some of those things were morally questionable"

"I did what I was hired to do, nothing more and nothing less"

"So you admit to doing those horrible things?"

"If you shoot a man with your gun, do you blame the gun for killing him or the shooter?" Slade asked.

"Excuse me?" Qrow asked confused.

"I am merely a tool for those that hire me. I am not the one responsible for the deaths of those I was sent to kill, my employers are"

"That's an extremely dangerous way of thinking. Guns don't have emotions or conscious thought, they aren't able to comprehend their actions because they're not living beings" Qrow sighed deeply "But you've also put a lot of bad people behind bars, more so than people you've killed-"

"I've never killed anyone who didn't commit a crime, it may not have been a violent crime but it was a crime nonetheless" he explained before handing Qrow the relic "Keep the stupid lamp. I'm only here for one reason anyway" he turned away from him before walking back toward Ruby and her friends.

"Thank you" Qrow called after him as he walked away, Slade gave a slight wave back acknowledging his words.

"Why do you think he came back?" Oscar asked "It's not like we offered him money or some kind of reward"

Qrow pondered the question deeply for a short time before frowning "Yang" he breathed.

* * *

 **Thanks for reading guys! I really appreciate everyone who's sticking around for the long haul and hope you like how it turns out. Hopefully won't be too long before I have another chapter out for you to read again in the near future. Thanks again.**


	11. The Argus Limited

**Chapter Eleven as promised! I've been working on writing as much as I possibly can, the next chapter will be coming as soon as possible.**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing!**

"Speech"

 _Thoughts_

* * *

 **Chapter Eleven: The Argus Limited**

We need to take the Relic to Atlas? Ruby asked.

Team RWBY, JNPR, Slade and Qrow are sitting back at the house in Mistral

"That's what Oz said "Qrow answered.

Everybody looks to Weiss Schnee "You've got to be joking..."

"I mean, bright side, we finally get out of this house!" Nora shouts excitedly, Weiss sighs.

"Well trust me, I'm not crazy about it either. And without the Spring Maiden here to seal the Relic back in its Vault, it's our best option"

"Unfortunately, Qrow is right" Slade sighed "As much as I was hoping to avoid Ironwood"

"Atlas may be the safest kingdom we have at the moment, but their borders are closed. General Ironwood called everyone back" Ren explained.

"Eh, not everyone" Qrow activates his scroll, showing a hologram of a highlighted portion of land "The city of Argus is a ways north of us and it's the primary trading port between Anima and Solitas. They've got the largest Atlas military base outside the kingdom. There's no way they'd leave it abandoned, and if we play our cards right, I think there's a good chance we could convince them to escort us straight to Ironwood" Qrow explained.

"I mean, we do have the missing Heiress to the Schnee Dust Company" Blake pointed out.

"Ex-Heiress, actually" Weiss corrected.

"True, true. But if there's a chance of reward money, I say we go for it" Yang offered.

"Ugh..." Weiss groaned.

"How much money are we talking?" Slade asked curiously, earning a small laugh from the group.

"Ever the mercenary" Yang shook her head with a playful smile.

"It's a legitimate question" Slade defended crossing his arms indignantly.

"Hopefully the first option will suffice" Oscar Pine, letting Ozpin take over, walks into the room.

"Glad to see you're feeling better" Qrow smiled lightly.

"Likewise, and while I'm sure we could all use more time to recover, I'm afraid time is of the essence"

"Right, as long as that thing's out in the open, its power could fall into the wrong hands" Blake agreed.

"Speaking of, what does it do exactly? Qrow never really told us" Jaune asked curiously.

Everyone looks to Ozpin, who turns around to face them "Of course" he detaches the Relic from his hip "The Relic of Knowledge has a wonderful, and incredibly dangerous ability" the Relic grows into it's original size as it was found "Its user can ask any question, and the lamp will provide an answer" Ozpin places the Relic down, and it floats on the table.

Ren stared in awe "Intriguing..."

"That's incredible..." Blake agreed.

"Indeed" Ozpin's expression turned serious.

"What's the catch?" Slade asked.

"Very astute, Mr. Stroud. It's not without drawbacks. The lamp cannot tell of events that have yet to happen, and it will only ever answer three questions every one hundred years"

"Well, I guess that's not so bad. Adds a lot of pressure though" Yang shrugged.

"Then let's put it to a vote! What should we ask first? Oh! Can we ask for more questions? CAN WE ASK FOR MORE QUESTIONS?!" Nora asked zipping between seats near her friends.

Ren facepalmed "They're not wishes..."

Ozpin chuckled "I'm afraid you won't be able to ask it anything at the moment" Nora grunts in frustration "The questions were used before I sealed it away"

"Well, at least now we know what it is. And we'll be sure to keep it safe!" Ruby pointed out optimistically.

Slade eyed Ozpin skeptically _Just how much are you telling us, old man?_ he wondered. For the moment he decided to keep his thoughts to himself.

"Slade?" Yang called "Is everything alright?" she asked concerned.

Slade figured he was staring for too long and sighed "I'm fine, Yang. Just working through some trust issues is all" he answered honestly.

"Understandably so, considering how things were left between us" Ozpin sighed "I know it doesn't count for much anymore, but I feel the need to say it anyway" Ozpin paused for a moment, taking a deep breath "I'm sorry... for lying to you... for keeping your sister's fate from you and most of all for getting your family killed"

Slade stared back expressionlessly pondering his words, looking the man in front of him up and down for any signs of insincerity "Thank you... I cannot forgive you yet... but it's a step closer" Slade stood from his place beside Ruby "I don't completely trust you. But I trust you far more than I trust Salem"

"I'll take what I can get" Ozpin smiled at him.

"You've got a long way to go, old man" he stepped toward him "But I promise you one thing, if you get any of these kids killed for withholding something from us like you did with my team... I will find a way to separate you from Oscar so I can make you suffer for the rest of your short miserable existence" he stepped past him, leaving the room. Everyone stare in shock at his statement.

"Don't think too harshly of him" Ozpin pleaded "Salem and I have put him through a lot... sometimes I wonder which one of us did more good for him and which of us did more harm" Ozpin sat down beside Qrow with a deep sigh.

"Slade's been forged by his experiences and what he's lost" Yang added "It's understandable that he wouldn't trust anyone again so easily, especially you"

"He seems to trust you just fine" Qrow pointed out with a smirk "Don't abuse that like we did" he warned.

"I don't plan on it"

* * *

Qrow stood in a train station in Mistral. People go about their business around him whether they're buying a train ticket, going shopping, eating food, and more. Holographic screens show different locations, amongst them are Argus, Wind Path, Kuchinashi, Shion, and Vale, the latter shown to be crossed out with an "Out of Service" message next to it. Qrow holds a letter he wrote to James Ironwood, detailing recent events, he places the letter in a mail box. Suddenly, Ruby runs by and bumps into him.

"Hey, what's with the running?" Qrow asked turning with her as she ran by him.

"And what's with the standing? It's almost time!" she yelled turning back to him before quickly rushing off. Ruby sees the people chattering in the station lobby. She uses her Semblance to get something and fly through the gate. She then emerges smiling and humming with an excited sway of her hips, approaching the benches where her companions, excluding Blake and Slade, are waiting.

"And?" Yang asked.

"Ahh!" Ruby shows off the bag excitedly.

"What an absolute waste of time-" Weiss began before she was interrupted by an excited Yang.

"What did you get me?" she asked.

"You'll have to wait and see!" she sang in a singsong tone.

"No fair!" Ruby sticks her tongue out, Yang attempts to snatch the bag from Ruby, who recoils; then Nora jumps from between them excitedly.

"Oh, I can't believe we're taking the train to Argus! The beautiful northern coastline... You really think it's too early for beach season?" she asked curiously.

"Unfortunately, but we will be one step closer to Atlas" Ren offered.

"Well, I'm glad you're all excited. But I don't think you appreciate the trouble I went through to leave Atlas" Weiss huffed.

"I know you're worried, Weiss, but trust us. Team RWBY won't leave your side for a second! I promise" Ruby assured her.

"No one's gotta be worried with us around" a voice called from behind them.

A pair of Huntsmen, confront Ruby and her friends with proud looks on their faces, holding their weapons.

"Aaaand you are?" Nora asked with a tone that said "Why should I care?"

"Why Dee and Dudley of course. The Argus Limited's very own Huntsmen. We'll be keeping everyone safe as we pass through Grimm territory" Dee introduced the pair.

"But for a generous tip, we can make sure your passenger car gets extra special attention should things get dangerous" Dudley added before winking at Ruby. Weiss, Yang and Nora give unamused looks; Nora has her arms crossed and Weiss rolls her eyes.

"Yeah, I got a tip for ya" Qrow called from behind Ruby as he approached.

"Huh?" the pair said in unison. They turn to see Qrow confronting them. Qrow has his hands in his pockets and gives Dee and Dudley a frown.

"Buzz off" he _s_ tands between Ruby and Yang as they make faces, mocking Dee and Dudley behind him "Looks like Mistral's really scraping the bottom of the barrel these days" he added.

"Hey! You're talking to a-"

Qrow holds his huntsman license up, showing Dee and Dudley "A professional Huntsman, right" he finished mockingly with a small sigh "Well, it seems one of you heroes left the staff entrance to the caboose wide open" Dee and Dudley turn around to the left in surprise at this revelation "It'd be a shame to lose your job before it even started" he finished crossing his arms.

"I... I didn't do it!" Dudley said defensively as he turned to Dee.

"Come on, dummy" Dee scoffed "Well, I didn't do it either..." he argued as they walked away.

 _I do hope those weren't Beacon graduates_ Ozpin mused aloud to Oscar.

"You know sometimes the burden of saving the world feels overwhelming" Oscar turned to the others "But then people like that come along and make me grateful that it's our jobs instead of theirs" Everyone collectively agrees with Oscar as they nod at him together.

"Uh-huh" Ruby nodded in agreement.

"Yeah" Jaune smiled lightly.

Slade approached behind Qrow with a smirk on his face, Qrow matched with his own smirk held his hand up for a high five. Slade clapped his hand against Qrow's without looking at him as they both chuckled "Nice one, Kid"

"They seemed to be bothering you guys. Figured they could use a distraction" Slade offered with a shrug.

"Well you did a fine job, would've probably started a fight myself had you not opened the staff entrance" Qrow turned to the others "So, you kids ready to go? Bike all loaded up?"

"Yep!" Yang answered.

"Just waiting on Blake. As usual" Weiss sighed.

"Let Blake have her moment, she's been through a lot too" Slade said sitting down onto the open space on the bench as Qrow, Ruby and Yang all followed suit.

"We'll make sure she doesn't take too long, we wouldn't want to miss the train now would we?" Qrow offered taking out his flask and sipping from it. Turning toward Slade, he offered it to him. Slade accepted it with a grateful nod before sipping from it as well.

"That reminds me" Ruby pointed her finger upward suddenly as she jumped slightly in her seat "What did you mean when you said you knew Blake was coming to Mistral?" she asked leaning forward to look at Slade.

Slade took another swig from the flask before returning it to Qrow as the entire group stared at him in anticipation "It's not as outlandish as you might be thinking" he chuckled "I met with an information broker here in town and they gave me information on Blake's whereabouts"

"You asked an information broker to find me?" Blake asked as she joined the group.

"Ruby had mentioned you all lost a close friend when Beacon was destroyed and that you left not long afterward. I figured if I gave them your location they could decide whether or not to go after you, it was meant to be a parting gift when I left the city"

"Why didn't you tell us then?" Yang asked confused.

"Because he talked to a really good information broker" Qrow answered.

"Indeed, I was informed Blake was on her way to Mistral from Menagerie. I figured the choice was already made for you"

"Why would you look for me? You barely even know any of us" Blake asked surprised.

"I thought it was the right thing to do" Slade shrugged "Yang assisted me in finding Raven, I figured I owed her something in return"

"You didn't even get the bounty on her head" Yang laughed "Plus, you helped me find her. I didn't even have a clue where to find her and you already had a pretty good lead"

"I got lucky it panned out"

"My point is if anything I owe you for your help, especially after saving our asses in Haven"

"Ah, whatever" Slade waved off dismissively "Who's keeping track anyway?"

"You never did tell us why you came back" Nora pointed out.

"You did seem pretty adamant about not fighting with us against Salem anymore" Yang agreed.

"I fully intended to leave the city and allow you to fight this yourselves when I said that, Yang. Unfortunately for me, Salem sent Cinder and her goon squad to recruit me to her cause again. She wasn't very happy when I declined but she didn't try and force me as she had pressing matters to attend to that evening"

"The attack on Haven" Oscar concluded.

Slade gave a nod "I decided to leave before things got any worse and put as much distance between me and Cinder as I possibly could. But when I thought about it, I was never going to get away from this war... Salem was going to force me into it sooner or later. I decided it was time to choose my own path instead of allowing her to plot my future for me... so I came back" he explained.

"Wow... that's... deep" Ruby pointed out.

"Well it turned out you needed my help anyway" Slade chuckled lightly winking at Yang "If that's everything, I believe we should get going. The train is going to be leaving soon" he stood from his place beside Qrow.

"Kid has a point" Qrow sighed standing as the rest of the group followed suit "Let's get ourselves settled in our rooms before anything else"

Slade stopped suddenly as he gripped his head in pain causing Yang and Ruby to rush to his side to catch him from falling "Slade? Slade, are you alright?!" Ruby asked concerned but he couldn't hear.

 _You don't believe in fate do you?_ an unknown female voice asked. Slade recognized the voice from one of his previous visions but still didn't know to who it belonged.

 _No_ his own voice answered.

 _Why?_ Ruby's voice asked.

 _The Huntsmen were consumed by darkness... I fought for a long time... I was consumed by fear... I did not foresee it_ Ozpin's voice explained.

 _In him... my friend... Salem had already turned his heart, and it was beyond anything I had ever imagined_ Qrow's voice echoed _He would bring destruction, pain, and death. The end of everything I love because of what he would become and in the briefest moment of pure instinct I thought I could stop it_ his voice continued.

 _I failed you_ Yang's voice said, sounding as if she was in tears _I'm sorry_

 _You keep messing with everyone's lives, wrecking everything and we're left behind to pick up the pieces from your mistakes!_ Yang's voice shouted angrily.

 _Who's the villain, Slade? Now who's the villain!?_ Mercury's voice yelled as his surroundings came back to him.

Slade shook his head slightly standing himself back up "I'm fine" he shook Yang and Ruby off of him.

"Are you sure?" Yang asked

"You looked like you were about to drop just now" Weiss added.

"I said I'm fine" he snapped surprising the group. Noticing their reaction, he internally scolded himself "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have snapped at you like that, I just... I just need some rest" he hurried away from them toward the train before anything more could be said.

"Wait, Slade-" Yang called after him.

"Let him go, Yang" Qrow said placing his hand onto her shoulder, stopping her in place.

"But-" Yang began but stopped when she saw Qrow's stern glare "Fine" she sighed, knowing better than to try and argue with her uncle.

"What was that all about?" Blake asked confused.

"He saw something" Qrow answered.

"Saw something?" Blake asked not understanding.

"We've got some explaining to do" Jaune sighed "It's gonna take awhile so let's get onto the train first before we start into it, but suffice to say: Slade just had a vision of something or heard something that may or may not have already happened"

Blake slumped cocking her head to the side "Huh?!" she was even more confused than before.

"C'mon" Qrow chuckled "We'll explain once we're aboard. Let's give Slade some space for now"

* * *

 **Several Months Ago**

Slade sat silently in the bullhead as it soared over the forest below, fiddling with the knife in his hand. Twirling it slightly, he fixated on his own reflection staring back at him. Slade sighed placing the knife back into it's sheath before turning to watch the treetops disappear from view, indicating they were ascending. Suddenly, a loud scraping sound attracted his attention as he looked to his left, finding Adam Taurus sharpening his blade with a whetstone. Roman Torchwick and his partner Neopolitan sat to his left with Mercury Black to theirs. Emerald Sustrai and Cinder Fall sat to Slade's right and Hazel Reinhart to his left.

"You know I love this weapon more than any other thing in the whole wide world. Do you wanna know why?" he asked looking up to Hazel.

"No" he answered without looking at him.

"It's memorable" he smiled "Sure, it's a little bulky, tough to get on a plane. You whip out a sword at your ex-girlfriend's graduation, she will never, ever forget it" he explained.

 _That sounds rather specific... Adam must have an old flame that pissed him off_ Slade concluded silently.

"That's funny, Taurus. I think you confuse me with someone who gives a shit" Hazel replied.

"Right" Adam scoffed "It's probably not as intimidating as having a gun or wrist-blades or a bad case of masochism" he taunted.

Hazel sat silently with a glare, his hands together in front of him, slightly tightening his grip from annoyance. Adam's hand moved to the hilt of his blade, earning a small smirk from Hazel "Need a fix?" Adam asked as his smirk changed into a grin.

"Easy" Slade warned "Wouldn't want to hurt the calf now would you?" he added earning a laugh from Hazel and an angry glare from Adam.

The bullhead descended quickly causing Slade to groan in discomfort "Oh, God" he whispered leaning forward.

"You alright?" Emerald asked, mildly concerned.

"If we were meant to fly, we'd grow wings" Slade replied.

"Relax, princess. More people die driving than flying" Mercury taunted.

"How about from impaling?" Slade asked with a growl causing Mercury to drop his cocky grin nervously.

"Hey, be nice" Torchwick said with a small smile "Or be your understanding of nice" he added "We're all working together here"

"So long as I'm getting paid, I am" Slade replied.

Neo made a few hand signs toward Roman causing him to laugh "Neo wants to know if you'd like a bucket"

"No" Slade answered quickly with a shake of his head "Thank you, but no" he added earning a smile from her.

"Enough" Cinder ordered standing over them "I'm tired of hearing your voices"

"Then maybe you should've taken a different ride" Slade said back.

"I would were it not full of Adam's followers" she answered nodding toward him "They're already at our destination securing the town for our arrival"

"Well, Slade as you've yet to meet... this here is-" Roman began.

"Cinder Fall" Slade finished "We've met" he glared up at her.

"Ah, so you have" Roman went quite noticing the animosity between the two. Neo extended her hand toward Cinder for a handshake, when she received nothing she signed a few times causing Roman to chuckle "She say's "My name is Neo, nice to meet you"

"Continue to annoy me and I will kill you all now" Cinder growled.

Neo turned back to Roman "She seems nice" she signed back, causing him to stifle a laugh.

"What exactly are we doing there?" Slade asked "Roman didn't exactly specify what the job was when he called me" he explained looking to Torchwick before glancing back over at Cinder.

"The mayor of the little town we're visiting today has something of mine. I simply need him to give it back" she answered.

"This is quite a team you've put together for such a simple task" he pointed out knowing there was more to it than that.

"The mayor refuses to turn it over to me and is going to be taking it to the Vale authorities when they arrive tomorrow. I've asked you all here today to help me secure the town and take the residents prisoner so they won't get themselves hurt. No one is to be harmed. Understood?"

"I've got no issue sparing some lives" Slade answered "I wonder about the rest of these reprobates though" he added looking directly as Adam.

"If anyone kills someone without my express permission, you are to terminate them" Cinder said as the bullhead came to a stop.

"We're here" Roman said standing from his seat.

Slade looked out to see they had landed in the town square as the doors opened and gunfire could be heard. Stepping off the bullhead he found the White Fang to be capturing civilians as they tried to run away while security seemed to be dropping like flies "So much for no one getting hurt" he sighed.

"Put your hands where I can see them!" yelled an officer as he pointed his gun at Slade.

"Put that thing away before someone gets hurt" Slade replied stepping toward him.

"Stop right-" he was interrupted as Hazel grabbed him from behind breaking the gun in his hand before tossing him toward the group of captured civilians.

"Things seem to be going smoothly without us" Mercury frowned "Here I thought I was going to have some fun"

"Looks like we've already got what we came for" Adam pointed out gesturing toward the old man being carried by two White Fang members holding him by his arms.

"Not quite" Cinder stepped past him off the bullhead

 _What have you gotten me involved in Roman?_ Slade wondered as he shifted uncomfortably.

"Well, thank goodness no one got hurt" Roman joked.

Slade turned to look at him, knowing sarcasm was only used by Torchwick when he was either angry or scared... and he definitely wasn't angry. Neo looked to Slade nervously making a few hand signs saying "I don't like this"

"Me neither, Neo" Slade replied watching the interaction between Cinder and the mayor.

Cinder approached him with a smile on her face "Look at how weak you've become" she smirked.

"Something far worse has happened to you" he answered.

"You know what I've come for"

"I know where you've come from. Before you called yourself, "Cinder Fall"

"The Fall Maiden" Cinder stepped toward him threateningly "We know you've hidden her away here" she turned away from him looking toward the man's office building "You're going to turn her over to me"

"Your master rose from the darkness. You did not"

Cinder twisted around a fireball in her hand "I'll show you darkness!" she growled menacingly.

"You may try" he replied unfazed "But you cannot deny the truth" he replied "We were family once"

Cinder burned him with the fire in her hand, forcing him back to his knees in pain as she grinned maliciously "Tell me where she is"

"I will not"

"Now!" she yelled increasing the amount of flame coming from her hand.

"There is nothing... you can do to me... that will make me... talk" he forced out through the pain. Cinder was surprised by the amount of pain he was able to take and still stay upright. She was unaware of Slade using his Semblance to protect the man from the majority of the flames.

 _What the hell did I walk into here_ Slade sighed looking over to Roman, he shrugged lightly. Slade narrowed his eyes, knowing Roman was aware Cinder would be pulling something like this.

Cinder suddenly stopped burning the man "You're so right... Father" she created a blade of flame in her hand before cutting him down effortlessly.

"Oh, great. Now we're killing the elderly" Slade sighed _I don't like this one bit... one more wrong move and I'm out of here_

"Who hasn't committed a little patricide every now and again?" Roman asked sarcastically.

A single gunshot rang out from behind her as the round stopped just behind her head, Slade had stopped it with his Semblance whilst simultaneously holding the attacker in place without looking toward him. Mercury raced toward the man punching him in the gut and pulling him toward Cinder. The man stared at the bullet stuck in the air, shaking from the momentum still being trapped inside the metal. Mercury stopped him in front of Cinder forcing the man to his knees. Cinder crouched down, looking the man in the eye. He appeared to be the captain of security for the town by his outfit.

"The old man... where did he hide her?" she asked.

"Sorry, my ears are still ringing from the gunfire I couldn't hear you" he replied mockingly.

"If you don't tell me her location I will kill you and everyone in this town" Cinder threatened standing back up "You wouldn't want that now would you?"

"I don't know who you're talking about" he answered truthfully.

Cinder cocked her head to the side "Then you're of no use to me" she turned away from him "We're not going to stop until we've found the Maiden. Once we're done here, I want you to spread out and find her" she ordered approaching Adam, stopping beside him "You know what to do" she stepped onto the bullhead, sitting down with her legs crossed.

Adam smirked "Kill them all" he ordered.

The White Fang members pointed their guns toward the civilians, causing the women and children to begin crying in terror. Slade looked at him in shock before quickly turning his attention back to his men "No!" Slade yelled reaching out his hand as gunfire began, drowning out his voice. Slade used his Semblance stopping the bullets in place as they fired allowing for several civilians to run as the bullets dropped to the ground.

Mercury began firing at them as they ran using his boots before Slade tackled him to the ground. Adam unsheathed his blade as he prepared to stab the woman in his grip, he was stopped when Slade grabbed him by the wrist.

"Don't even think about it" he warned the Faunus "I didn't sign up for this" The group stood uncomfortably around them wondering what would happen next. Cinder stood from her place curious to what he would do "Put her down" Slade ordered. Reluctantly, Adam released the woman in his grip allowing her to drop onto the ground before running away. Slade released Adam's wrist as he took a step back from him.

"What're you doing?" Roman asked pulling him aside "We've finally got a good thing going here, don't screw this up"

"Enough. That's enough" Slade answered with a sigh "We've done enough"

"These are not people you want to piss off" Roman warned fearfully "These are the kind of people you join up with because you can't beat them"

"Is that why you're here?" Slade asked cocking his eyebrow "Because you're scared of them" he gestured to the group.

"Who do you think you are?" Adam asked "This is what we do"

"It's not what I do" Slade replied stepping around Torchwick "I help people, I put people like you behind bars. I took this job as a courtesy to Roman, he's done right by me. I never agreed to slaughtering innocents" he got right up in Adam's face, earning a low growl in response.

"Roman is just as bad as the rest of us" Cinder said stepping off the bullhead once more "He's only here because he wants to save his own skin. If not for him you wouldn't even have a place here with us"

"Oh really?" Slade asked "I'm sure Salem had nothing to do with this" he rolled his eyes.

The group reeled back in shock at the mention of her name "How do you know about Salem?" Hazel asked.

"Why don't you ask Cinder" he answered turning away from the group "I'm done"

"Slade!" Cinder called after him, stopping him in place. Slade turned back to look at her "We can't just let you walk away" Slade scoffed turning away from her, continuing out of the town "Slade!" she called earning nothing from him in response "Slade!" she called again. Slade said nothing as he disappeared from view into the forest.

Neo waved goodbye with a deep frown on her face as she looked up at Roman "I know, Neo. I'm gonna miss him too" he sighed. The bullet fired by the security captain still hovering in the air suddenly raced forward into a potted plant, shattering it. The group twisted in surprise excluding Roman and Neo as they had already known about his power.

"Salem's not going to be happy we're letting him get away" Mercury pointed out looking to Cinder "Should we-"

"She wants Slade to join of his own free will" Cinder turned back to the bullhead "She'll be disappointed in his decision... but she'll know what to do next"

"You and your master have been trying to get him to your side for years now. Manipulating events to your liking in an attempt to take everything from him... to turn him against Ozpin" Adam mused "How's that working out for you?" he asked mockingly.

"Slade's smart" Roman pointed out "When it comes down to it, he'll choose the winning side" he turned to look at Cinder "Especially if it pays"

"Slade may believe himself to be a mercenary, but there wasn't any amount of money I offered that convinced him to join us" Cinder replied "I don't know how else to motivate him now"

"Some jobs just aren't worth taking" Roman sighed "Slade apparently believes working for you is more trouble than your worth"

"Perhaps he's right" Hazel agreed.

"Enough, if anyone else tries to leave, I'll kill you" Adam warned.

"Stop arguing and start searching, she's around her somewhere. She can't be far with the injuries she's already sustained from us" Cinder ordered in annoyance.

* * *

 **Present Day**

The Argus Limited races through the snow covered countryside. The four girls of Team RWBY are all on beds reminiscent to their old dorm room from Beacon. Weiss is reading a book, Ruby plays a game on her Scroll, Yang is reading a magazine, and Blake is looking out the window.

"All right, girls, I think it's time for an official team exercise" Ruby sighed "Who wants to play video games?"

"I mean, if you want me to kick your butt, yeah sure. Let me grab my scroll" Yang goes to grab her scroll from her bag. Blake notices this and quickly walks over to her.

"Here, let me help you with that" Blake helps get Yang's bag down from the shelf, much to Yang's dismay.

"Blake, you don't have to that" she says with a frown as she takes her bag.

"I don't know what you're talking about" Blake replied saddened.

"I'm fine. We're gonna be fine. It's just gonna be a bit before things are back to normal. But... I am glad we're all back together" she assured Blake placing a comforting hand on her shoulder, the two smile at each other, with Ruby and Weiss joining in as well.

"Yeah, okay"

"How touching" Qrow's voice called from the doorway. Qrow is at the doorway holding a cocktail in his hand.

"Oh hey, Uncle Qrow! You wanna play too?" Ruby asked.

Qrow chuckled "Kick your butts? Sure" he shrugged Suddenly, the train jolts, causing Qrow to drop his drink. Passengers can be heard screaming in fear.

"What was that?" Blake asked concerned

"Exactly what it sounds like" Weiss answered.

"Just my luck" she sighed.

Qrow looked out the window seeing Grimm flying around the train "It's not yours... grab your weapons!"

Qrow runs out of the room and Team RWBY follow suit, grabbing their respective weapons on their way out the door.

Slade a couple of rooms over was resting peacefully in bed until another jolt ripped through the train, throwing him onto the floor with a small groan. Standing up he looked to see Team RWBY run past with their weapons in hand. Sighing deeply, he checked his holster ensuring Defiance was still in place "So much for getting some rest"

Qrow climbs to the top of the train and notices a group of Manticores approaching from the back. Dee and Dudley are already up top and prepare to fight the Grimm. A much larger Grimm, a Sphinx, lands on the train and lets out a loud roar. A few train cars down, Team RWBY join Qrow as they too arrive on top of the train with their weapons out. Dee charges his weapon, an electrical spiked club, and charges forward to attack. The Sphinx roars and a Manticore flies by to snatch up Dee.

"Dee!" Dudley yells helplessly watching his partner get dragged down to the forest to his unfortunate death. The Sphinx roars again and all of the Manticores fly forward to attack.

"What's the plan, Ruby?" Blake asked.

"Don't let anyone else die!" she yelled with determination.

Team RWBY and Qrow charge forward into battle. Down below in the train, Oscar opens up a window to see the commotion, a Manticore barely missing him.

 _Shall I?_ Ozpin asked.

"No, I'm keeping control" Oscar replied.

Oscar walks out and bumps into Jaune, with Ren and Nora behind him "What's going on?" Jaune asked. Oscar tries to answer, but is interrupted by another jolt as passengers scream in fear. Jaune's expression then turns determined. Back outside, Team RWBY and Qrow get to work on cutting down Manticores.

One of the Manticores roars at Ruby and Yang as they prepared to attack. Suddenly a blade came out from the train car, piercing the Manticore's foot, earning a roar of pain just before Defiance poked through between it's legs. Firing several shots into it's head left the Manticore dead, dropping off the side of the train. Slade's hand came up out of the roof of the train as he used his Semblance to pass through the roof, only making contact with his hands as he pulled himself up.

"Nice work" Ruby complimented.

"Thanks, but we're not done yet" Slade joined the fighting.

Dudley runs toward the front of the train and takes his scroll out, activating the train's defense systems "Come on, come on" The train's armor activates, with reinforced plating covering most of the train while metal bars crisscross on the windows. After that, a series of turrets rise above the train and begin targeting the midair Grimm. A group of Manticores get shot down "Ah, yes!" Dudley yells pumping his fist.

Meanwhile, Qrow engages the Sphinx, using the scythe form of Harbinger to attack. The Sphinx tries to crush Qrow with its paw, but Qrow manages to transform into his bird form before returning to normal to land an attack from above. The turrets fire at the Sphinx from behind, causing it let out another loud roar. Two Manticores fly down, one does a tuck and roll into a turret, destroying it. The other evades turret blasts and spits a fireball at one, destroying it. The passengers inside the turret's train car scream as it jolts from being destroyed.

"Hey! What are you doing?" Qrow yelled to Dudley.

Oscar and Team JNPR climb up to the top of the train to join the battle.

"Why is it always something?!" Nora yelled exasperated.

Oscar runs over to Qrow, who is shooting at Grimm "How can I help?" he asked quickly

"You can get that idiot to shut off the turrets. They're just drawing the Grimm toward the passengers!" Qrow answered as he continued to fight off the attacking Grimm.

"Right!" Oscar runs forward, dodging Grimm attacks along the way. He manages to approach Dudley, who is firing at Grimm with his own rifle "Stop! You've gotta shut the turrets off!"

"Are you crazy? No way!" Dudley yelled back. A turret continues fire, knocking more Grimm out of the sky "Yes! Another one down!"

Oscar placed his hands on Dudley "Stop! We have to lure the Grimm to the back"

"What does it matter if they're dead?" he shoved Oscar off and continues to fire at the Manticores. Suddenly, they notice the Sphinx and the rest of the Grimm fly off the train, keeping their distance.

"Where are they going?" Dudley asked confused.

Oscar, realizing something, quickly turns around "TUNNEL!"

"Huh?"

They take notice of the fast approaching tunnel. Oscar quickly gets below the train. Dudley does the same, but inadvertently leaves his arm stretched out as it impacts the wall of the tunnel. The sound of a bone snap and Dudley yelling in pain is heard over the train.

Team RWBY and JNPR quickly run into the train car as Oscar tends to Dudley, who holds his bruised arm in pain. Qrow and Slade enter and approach Dudley.

"I said, turn those damn things off!" Qrow picks up Dudley and shoves him into the wall.

Dudley groaned in pain "Those things are keeping us alive!"

"Us, sure, but they're putting the passengers in danger!"

"I'm the one they hired for this job, okay?! I'm in charge here!"

"Forgive me if I'm not exactly reassured"

"You don't inspire much confidence" Slade agreed.

While the two argue, Ruby looks out the window and notices the Manticores enter the tunnel, continuing their pursuit of the train. She then looks behind her friends at the passengers, a baby can be heard crying as passengers murmur among themselves. Ruby then walks forward to her uncle and Dudley.

"Get off me!" Dudley yelled.

"Look, if you bozos had been doing your job instead of shaking down passengers, maybe we wouldn't be in this-" Qrow berated the man.

Ruby stops her uncle and walks up to Dudley "Please just shut off the turrets"

"Trust us, we know what we're doing" Jaune activates his Semblance to heal Dudley's arm.

Dudley looks to the students before giving his answer "Fine" Ruby nods in acceptance.

"Ren, could you use your Semblance to mask everyone on this train? With the guns off and emotions hidden, they might lose track of us!" Nora offered

"Hm, I never attempted to affect this many people" Ren pondered unsure.

"Well, you've never had Jaune's help before" Ruby pointed out.

"He could amplify your Aura!" Weiss agreed.

"Yeah, that's an alright plan" Qrow smirked.

"Don't look so worried, Ren. You can totally do this!" Nora encouraged.

 _May I?_ Oscar's eyes glow as Ozpin takes over.

"I'm afraid there's one complication... The Grimm are also attracted to this" he gestures to the Relic of Knowledge on his hip.

"What's that?" Dudley asked confused.

"None of your business. Oz, are you serious?" Qrow asked.

"Why wouldn't you tell us that?!" Yang asked angrily.

"I-"

"It doesn't matter right now" Ruby interjected. Yang crosses her arms in annoyance.

"Every second we're on board this train, we're putting everyone else in danger. Get the passengers to the front cars, you'll still mask the emotions and kill the turrets... we just can't come with you. If we cut the back cars with us and the Relic on them, we can deal with the Grimm. You just make sure the rest of the train makes it safely to Argus"

Upon hearing this, Jaune finishes up healing Dudley's arm and walks over to Ruby with a conflicted expression.

"Only if you'll promise you'll meet us there"

Ruby smiles back at him "Promise"

"I'm not gonna let you have all the fun" Slade added walking toward Yang "I've been itching for a good fight anyway"

"We'll be glad to have the help" Ruby smiled at him with a slight nod.

Team JNPR begins evacuating all of the passengers to the front half of the train.

Outside, the turrets are shut off. Blake jumps down and decouples the train, allowing the front half to continue forward. When she looks up, she notices a hooded figure resembling Adam in front of her on the next train car. Blake prepares for a fight, but then realizes that no one is there and it was just her imagination. Blake sighs before jumping back up to the top of the train. Ruby is seen a few train cars down looking at her scroll, which shows portraits of her teammates and Nora, the latter's signal low compared to the rest. Ruby looks back up and notices the Manticores and Sphinx exiting the tunnel and taking flight once again. The Sphinx lands on the train.

"Now!" Ruby yelled.

Nora gets Ruby's message and gives the okay to Jaune and Ren. The two boys combine their Semblances, with Jaune enhancing Ren's Aura to the point where the entire front half of the train is grayed out by Ren's Semblance. Oscar watches the train as it disappears into the snowstorm, before being attacked by a Manticore. He manages to fend it off temporarily while team RWBY take out several Manticores one by one. Ruby notices Oscar's struggle and takes advantage of Weiss taking one down in order to send it crashing into Oscar's Manticore.

Slade easily killed several Manticores as they attacked him with Defiance, easily managing to reload the weapon between kills. Meanwhile, Qrow is seen struggling against the Sphinx. Ruby notices this and she and her team go to assist him.

"We need to ground it!" Ruby yelled.

"On it! Yang!" Blake yells.

Yang takes out a Manticore before launching off it and runs towards the Sphinx, ducking under it. Blake spins her weapon, with Yang punching it back and forth, the ribbon wrapping around the Sphinx's torso. Yang punches Gambol Shroud one more time, embedding the blade to the train's roof, and she and Blake pull the ribbon together, keeping the Sphinx down. Weiss uses her Glyphs to freeze the Sphinx's wings, with Slade firing his weapon shattering them. Ruby and Qrow ready their scythes as the Sphinx prepares to launch one more fireball. Qrow and Ruby launch forward, spinning their scythes together rapidly as they bisect the Sphinx's torso, finishing it off for good. Before it dies however, the Sphinx launches the fireball, destroying the rails in front of the train. Weiss activates her black Glyphs to hold everyone in place as the train derails and crashes into the snow. Slade managed to use his Semblance to slow the train and lessen the impact but was not close enough to Weiss to enter her glyph in time and was thrown over the side as it came to a stop.

The back half of the Argus Limited is completely derailed, with the train cars crashed in the snow. Qrow, Oscar, and Team RWBY all get back up "Is everyone okay?" Qrow asked.

"I'm fine" Weiss called.

"Yeah" Blake agreed.

"Where's Slade?" Yang asked concerned.

"He wasn't in range of my glyph when we crashed" Weiss pointed out.

"Look around! Slade might be injured and could need help" Qrow ordered.

"Too bad Jaune isn't here to heal him" Ruby sighed.

"There's no point worrying about that now" Blake looked around for any sign of him.

Then, an unfamiliar voice is heard "Still alive!" Everyone looks up and notices the elderly woman, Maria Calavera, stepping out from the train "That sure was a close one, huh?"

* * *

 **That's all for this time, hope you guys all liked it. Next chapter will be coming as soon as it's finished. Thank you guys for your patience.**


	12. Dishonesty

**So apparently I deleted this chapter before I was done writing it and was driving myself crazy trying to find the file on my devices, but had no such luck. That's why this chapter took longer than anticipated as I had to rewrite the whole thing. I hope you guys like it!**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing!**

"Speech"

 _Thoughts_

* * *

 **Chapter Twelve: Dishonesty**

Ruby scours through the train wreckage and picks up Dust bullets, before looking to see the Relic of Knowledge slightly buried in the snow nearby. Yang can be heard complaining as she struggles to get Bumblebee out of the snow.

"Great! This is just great! We're stranded, we lost a third of our party, there's still no sign of Slade, and we've gained a defenseless old lady!" With one final heave, Yang manages to extricate Bumblebee, but falls over to the ground, with her motorcycle following suit as she's partially covered in snow.

"My name is Maria Calavera, and I am not defenseless! I'm just a little hard of hearing. And blind without my eyes, that are in desperate need of repair" she taps on her prosthetics, which open wide and close, before opening narrowly again "Okay, I'm starting to see your point"

Qrow grunts "Yang, knock it off, will ya? If we lose our cool now, we'll just be inviting even more Grimm"

"Does that even matter? Apparently, we've been attracting Grimm ever since we left Haven" Blake offered disappointed.

"Oh, and how could I forget about that?" she turns to Oscar "What happened to "no more lies and half truths"?

Oscar agreed "Yeah, I think it's time we got an explanation" Oscar's eyes glow as control of his body is switched to Ozpin, who furrows his brow at Yang's accusations

"I did not lie to you"

"Well you certainly didn't tell us everything about the Relic" Weiss pointed out.

"Please, now is not the time"

"No, we're past that! I wanna know why you're still not telling us everything!" Yang yelled as she closed the distance between herself and Ozpin.

Slade's hand suddenly broke through the snow between them causing the group to jump slightly preparing to attack as he sat up brushing the snow off his shoulders "You're all so loud I can't even stay unconscious around you guys" he groaned standing up.

"Slade" Yang sighed in relief "I'm glad to see you're alright"

"Me too, that was one hell of a crash"

"As important as your well being is to us, this doesn't get Ozpin out of explaining why he didn't tell us the Relic attracts the Grimm" Blake interjected.

"Huh?" Slade cocked his eyebrow in confusion.

"It is true that the Grimm are attracted to the Relics. It's faint, but undeniable. I believe it has to do with their origin, but I'm not entirely sure. Regardless, I feared that making you all aware would only add anxiety and negativity. It seemed like the safer option"

"You know, I'm getting real tired of people choosing what's best for me" Weiss growled.

"Is that why you chose to lie to everyone about Lionheart too?" Yang asked.

"Yes, as a matter of fact, I believed the Kingdom of Mistral deserved better than the truth. And I believed Leonardo deserved to be remembered for his lifetime of service, and not for the unfortunate missteps he made in his final years"

"Missteps?!" Yang shouted in disbelief.

"What Professor Lionheart did was reprehensible. I am not here to argue differently, but does one lapse in judgment truly negate all of his good? Do we not all have regrets? You may have met Professor Lionheart, but you never met the man he was before Salem found him"

"He's right" Slade agreed "Leonardo was a great man once, despite his mistakes I believe he deserved to be remembered for all the good he did"

"Thank you, Slade. I appreciate that" Ozpin smiled lightly, surprised Slade had decided to side with him in this.

"It wasn't for your benefit" Slade deadpanned "But I remember what Leonardo used to be like... the kindness he showed my team and I..." Slade let the sentence hang, not wishing to speak of it further.

Yang shook her head "Look, we're supposed to be in this together. You can trust us! We're not gonna turn our backs on you" Yang assured Ozpin.

Ozpin raised his voice "Do you really think Leo was the first?!" everyone stops suddenly.

Slade looked away slightly, understanding his reasoning all too well _Did I betray you too?_ he wondered feeling a small amount of guilt.

"That he didn't say those exact same words to me? I'm sorry, but you have to understand that my behaviors are backed by experience. I'm not saying that I have reason to think you will betray me. I'm saying that I have reasons for the things that I do, the secrets I keep, the reason I-" he suddenly stops and realizes something "Where's the Relic?"

"Right here" Ruby held it in her hands "It got scattered in the crash"

"Please, hand it over" Ozpin reaches his hand out, but Ruby hesitates.

"So all those times you talked about having faith in humanity, that was just for everyone else?"

Ozpin sighed "That's not what I meant to suggest. Ms. Rose, the Relic is a powerful item and I simply feel as though it is my burden to bear"

"But, you said it couldn't do anything right now" Ruby pointed out.

"Why does it matter who carries it?" Blake asked.

"I need you to listen to me-" Ozpin reaches his hand out, but suddenly is stopped, stuck in his position.

"Oz?" Qrow asked concerned.

"Hurry... he's... trying to stop you!" Oscar replied.

"Stop her from what?" Yang asked suspiciously.

"He's afraid... you'll find out what he's... hiding!" Oscar suddenly collapses, Yang, Weiss and Blake glare at the boy with intense looks while Ruby holds the Relic of Knowledge defensively "Her name is Jinn. Say her name to summon her"

"Her name?" Ruby asked, the wind picks up much more gradually, blowing snow even harder. The Relic starts to glow in Ruby's hands "Jinn?"

Suddenly, the snow stops, floating in midair. The wind stops blowing too "What?" Qrow asked in shock.

Ruby then lets go of the Relic as it floats a short distance away, cyan smoke emanates from it. Suddenly, the lamp is enveloped in the smoke, and from it, a giant, semi-nude feminine figure emerges. He skin and hair colored blue, and decorated with gold jewelry and ornaments. The figure stretches and moans as she has been awakened once again.

"Wonderful" Jinn says turning to the group Everyone stares in awe at Jinn "Tell me, what knowledge do you seek?"

"Amazing" Slade said in shock.

"I am Jinn, a being created by the God of Light to aid humanity in its pursuit of knowledge. I've been graced with the ability to answer three questions every one hundred years. You're in luck, as I am still able to answer-"

"That's enough!" everyone looks to Ozpin, who managed to regain control over Oscar's body.

"...two questions this era" she finished.

Everyone is shocked, despite Ozpin telling them that the Relic won't work for them beforehand.

Jinn chuckled "It's a pleasure to see you again, old man"

"Ruby, please... Don't" he pleaded.

Qrow glances to Ozpin, and steps forward "Hey" suddenly, Yang, Weiss, and Blake get defensive at Qrow. Ruby stares in disbelief. Qrow relented "Do whatever you think is right, kiddo"

Ruby pondered her question "Jinn?" Ruby turns around to face Jinn, who has a curious look on her face, while Ozpin grits his teeth in anger "What is Ozpin hiding from us?" she asked with determination.

"NOOOOOOO!" Ruby gasps and looks behind her. Ozpin lunges forward as Slade slides between them defensively before he found himself in a blank white space.

"What the hell?" Slade asked confused.

"Allow me to tell you a story about Salem and Ozma" Jinn's voice echoed.

"Ozma?" Slade asked "Do you mean Ozpin?"

"Ozma was his original name" Jinn answered "Ozpin is a more modern incarnation of the same brave soul that fought against injustice until his untimely death" she explained "Of course I'm getting ahead of myself" the white space was suddenly replaced by a large green field with a large stone castle in the distance, a small stone pathway leading away from it ending where he stood. Slade's view was shifted to the tower highest on the castle with a blonde woman humming to herself as she fixed her hair in the mirror.

"Our story begins long ago with a beautiful young woman locked away in a tower by her tyrant of a father... her name was..."

"Salem" Slade said as her face came into view.

* * *

 **One week after leaving Beacon**

It was just after sunset a couple of miles out from the city of Vale. There was a fuel station there with a motorbike just outside, having recently been refueled as the owner stood inside buying a bottle of alcohol. The bike was Indian fire red with black flames embroidered on the side and chrome handlebars. Several men were outside the station messing around with the motorbike struggling with tools to take parts off starting with the tire.

The owner stepped outside with his bottle in hand as he approached them unnoticed "Uh, guys" he called drunkenly getting their attention, causing them all to jump in surprise grabbing for their guns or weapons. Slade stood drunkenly with the bottle nearly slipping from his fingertips "Those are chrome plated, you're gonna strip em" he gestured to the tire "Look, I'm not really in the mood for this, so why don't we-" the man with a shotgun fired it into Slade's shoulder, knocking him onto his back from the impact as the men laughed.

"Dumbass" he spat gesturing for his men to get back to it. The man at the register looked out and saw their weapons, quickly ducking back inside to avoid being involved.

Slade sat on his back groaning in annoyance as his Semblance didn't work quite right on account of him being drunk. The bullets were lodged in his shoulder but didn't make it very far instead of passing right through him as he intended. Struggling to his feet he stood, hunched over in pain as a few bullets dropped to the ground from his shoulder "Guys" he called scaring them tremendously "Guys, seriously... you don't want to do this" he warned as his wrist blades shot out.

The first man swung the wrench toward his head, smashing into his face as the second did the same with a lead pipe and a third smashing a crowbar into his back. Slade dropped onto his knees before getting kneed in the face, bringing him right back up onto his feet. Turning around he grabbed the man with the crowbar, throwing him toward the group, causing them to stumble. One of the men fell toward the bike swinging the lead pipe toward it. Slade pierced the man's hand with his blade stopping him in place as he screamed in agony.

Throwing the man by his impaled arm back into the group, the leader swung the wrench for his head only to miss by merely an inch. Slade slashed his abdomen with his blade causing him to stumble backward, firing a pistol as he did "No! Not the bike!" Slade yelled getting in front of his bike as the bullet pierced his shoulder instead of hitting the bike.

Slade was tackled to the ground as the group began slamming their weapons into his arms and chest painfully. Kicking Slade in the abdomen, turned him onto his stomach as they continued to strike him "Kill this fool!" yelled the leader as one of them pointed the shotgun to the back of his head. Slade roared in anger as he twisted around the gun, using his blade to sever his arm. The shotgun fired in the severed hand's grip hitting the side of his bike and igniting the fuel line causing it to burst into flames. Slade stared in shock as he knew the bike was completely trashed now as he used his Semblance to keep the incoming explosion for expelling outward until it dissipated. Slade was completely sobered up now as rage coursed through his body.

"Mother fu-" Slade yelled turning slashing one of the men across the chest before turning on another. Slashing his blade across his shoulder, he then pierced his skull from the bottom with his opposite blade. Throwing the dead man back in the group, he began stabbing his next target in the chest several times before slicing across his face. Turning toward a man charging after him, he stabbed his blade through the mans skull in anger before twisting toward the leader. Stabbing his left blade through his arm, he then slit the man's throat with his right blade, letting out an angry growl as he did.

"Run man!" yelled one of the final two as they tried to escape. Suddenly, their skulls were both pierced by a single blade as a girl with an umbrella in hand flipped overhead, landing effortlessly on her feet as they dropped dead. Cleaning her blade with a small cloth, she then placed her blade into the end of her umbrella before swinging it over her shoulder. She had a brown left eye and a bright pink right eye, her hair was brown on the left side and pink on the right perfectly split down the middle. The pink side of her hair had a white streak through it, she had a pale complexion. The girl wore a a whitetail jacket with a pink interior and one wide broad tail, brown pants, black gloves, and black and white boots with very high heels and multiple buttons on each side. Under her jacket is a brown corset, curved in the middle and at the bottom, exposing her hips. She also wore a multitude of necklaces, which hang haphazardly around her neck.

"My, my, my, you're quite the fighter" a male voice spoke from behind him. Slade turned around to see a man with dark-green eyes and bright, long, orange hair, with long bangs covering his right eye. Black eyeliner traced his visible left eye. He wore a red-lined white suit with long black pants and black shoes. His accessories included a small gray scarf, black gloves with buckled sleeves, and a black bowler hat with a small feather tucked into its red band and a cigar in his mouth "I haven't seen a good fight like that in some time now, thank you for the entertainment" he chuckled as the girl joined him.

"Who are you?" Slade slurred.

"I cannot tell if you sound like that because you just got the shit kicked out of you or because you're drunk" he laughed.

"Maybe a bit of both" Slade replied struggling to keep his words coherent.

"I like you" he took a few steps toward him "Roman Torchwick at your service" he offered his hand toward him.

Slade accepted it, giving a firm shake "Slade Stroud" he looked to the girl behind him "You are?" he asked, his words still only barely understandable as he painfully set his jaw back into place with a groan.

"That's my lovely associate Neopolitan, but just call her Neo" Roman answered.

"She doesn't talk much does she?" he asked, his words much more coherent now.

"At all, actually. She's mute" Roman answered offering Slade a cigar.

"Oh... thank you" he took it reluctantly, sticking it into his mouth, wincing from the pain. Roman removed a small zippo lighter from his pocket and lit the cigar for him.

"Don't mention it" he placed his arm around his shoulder pulling Slade close to him "Say, what do you do exactly? You don't happen to be for hire do you?" he asked curiously as they walked away with Neo following close behind.

"I don't do anything anymore" he answered.

"Just get laid off? You're far too young to be retired by now-"

"No, I suppose you could say I quit"

"What did you do exactly?"

"I was a student at Beacon Academy, I became disillusioned and left. Now I don't know what I am doing, spending money until it's gone I suppose"

"You were training to be a Huntsman then? How long?" he asked curiously.

"Four years, in fact I was slated to graduate the day I quit. Before that my parents had been training me for a couple of years until they were killed in the field. My sister took over my training for the next year until I started at Beacon and she died"

"Sounds rough, kid" he sighed "I'm sorry to hear about your family. However if you're looking for employment, I'm looking for someone with your skillset to do a job for me"

"My skillset? You hardly know me"

"From what I just saw, you more than qualify for this job. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to kick someone's ass but it does take combat training and experience" he laughed "You can be a new partner of ours to do jobs we don't have time for"

"Like a thug?" Slade asked.

"More like a Bounty Hunter. I give you a job and a price, you take care of my problem. I don't care if their dead or in prison, so long as they aren't taking my business"

"I don't work with criminals, bud" Slade warned.

"Currently you don't have much choice. Unless you see a wanted sign for someone with a bounty, you don't really have any real targets yet. You need to build a reputation among the underworld, then people will know who you are on both sides of the law. I will help you build that reputation so long as you help me build my business"

Slade pondered his words as they walked "That seems like a fair deal, what's the catch?" Slade asked knowingly.

"Despite possibly hating your first few jobs? Nothing. Once your reputation is established you can decide on what jobs you do take and what you don't. That's how you bring in the money, turning down the small payday for the big one"

"I think I understand... when do we start?" Slade asked.

"I knew I liked you for a reason"

Neo made some hand signals toward Roman "He's cute, we should keep him around" she winked.

"Ugh, Neo, please" Roman groaned.

"Thank you, Neo. You're not bad yourself" Slade replied shocking them both.

"You speak sign language?" Neo asked with her hands.

"Not fluently" he answered in sign language back to her with a small smile "My Brother taught me a little when I was younger" he said told them both using his words once again.

Neo smiled back at him "I think we're gonna be good friends"

"I hope so" Slade laughed "I'll warn you though, I don't take very well to betrayal. Better keep on my good side"

"I've seen what your bad side looks like" Roman noted with a small shiver "I rather like my face the way it is thank you"

* * *

 **Present Day**

"As the centuries went on, Ozma began to learn the importance of living with the souls with which he had been paired" Jinn explained.

Ozma then hears screaming outside. He opens the door and sees villagers running around in panic as Grimm attack "But no matter where or how he lived, her presence was always felt" Ozma looks back to his wife, who nods in understanding, before going out with a mechanized cane into battle "If humanity were ever to stand a chance at being united, one thing was clear..."

"He had to destroy Salem" Slade spoke already knowing the answer. Blue smoke then transitions showing Ozma's reincarnation many years older now, tinkering with his cane in his workshop.

"Knowing he could never rid the world of her through any mortal means, Ozma sought out the power of the Relics" The elderly tinkerer then places his cane inside a metal cabinet, closing the door on it. The door opens again showing Ozma's newest reincarnation, a well-dressed man, picking up the cane where he last left it in his previous life "Armed with my knowledge, he believed he could fulfill his promise to the God of Light"

Ozma holds the Relic of Knowledge, summoning Jinn for the first time "Where are the other Relics?" he asked.

"He asked me his questions"

"What powers do they possess?"

"And though I gave him my answers"

"How do I destroy Salem?"

"Not all of them were to his liking"

"You can't" Jinn answered. Upon hearing this, Ozma falls to his knees in despair.

The world returned to normal with the snow covered forest around Slade, he found himself back with RWBY, Qrow and Ozpin. The group remained silent as Jinn disappeared, the snow continued to fall and the wind began blowing once again.

"Salem can't be killed... you all heard her too, right?" Yang asked.

Team RWBY all angrily glare at Ozpin, whose head is still down. He looks up, with tears streaming down his face. Qrow Branwen just looks away. Slade looked down at Ozpin sympathetically, knowing all he did now, he couldn't remain angry with him.

"I-" Ozpin began.

"There was so much you hadn't told us! How could you think that was okay?!" Yang yelled enraged.

Oz doesn't say anything, he just hangs his head back down in shame.

"Professor" Ruby called. Oz looks up at her "What is your plan to defeat Salem?" she asked hesitantly.

"I... don't have one" Ozpin answered honestly. Suddenly, Qrow punches Ozpin in the face, sending him into a nearby tree trunk. Going back for a second he found Slade standing between the two of them, both of them stared at Slade in surprise.

"Move" Qrow warned.

"That's not just Ozpin in there Qrow, Oscar is just as much a part of him as he is of Oscar. I won't stand by while you hurt him"

Qrow sighed knowing he was right "No one wanted me... I was cursed... I gave my life to you because you gave me a place in this world... I thought I was finally doing some good" he explained solemnly.

"But, you are!" Ozpin insisted tearfully.

"Meeting you... was the worst luck of my life" Qrow added never lookin at him.

Oz stares back in disbelief upon hearing Qrow say that, before looking down dejected "Maybe you're right" Ozpin's eyes glow as control is transferred back to Oscar Pine. He holds his cheek in pain from the effects of Qrow's punch.

"What happened?" Ruby asked.

"He's... gone" Oscar answered.

"That bastard! Tell him we're not done yet!" Yang yelled angrily.

"No, this is different. He's gone. It- It's like he's locked himself deep inside my head. Our head?" Oscar grunts as he holds his head in pain "I hate this! I want it to stop!"

Slade placed his hand onto Oscar's shoulder "Breathe, kid. I know it hurts but you've got to breathe" he instructed, knowing all too well what that kind of pain felt like "If it helps, there's plenty of snow around for you to hit, it always helps me" he offered.

Oscar looked up at Slade as the pain subsided "Thanks... I think it's done for now" Slade smiled lightly and nodded, standing up straight he offered his hand to the boy. Oscar quickly accepted it, standing up straight with his help.

"He just left us?" Weiss asked.

"What are we gonna do now?" Blake asked unsure. Yang growls in anger.

"Enough! We need to get move on. It'll be dark before we know it, and every one of you is spewing negativity! There's a trail over there, trails usually lead somewhere" Maria lectured.

"Lady, I don't know who you think you are but-"

Maria slammed her cane into the ground "No buts! I understand that you're upset. Honestly, I'm still coming to terms with the fact that this is humanity's second time around. But, if we don't move, we die. And I'll be damned if I've lived this long just to die out here in the cold!"

"She's right. Come on" Ruby agreed.

"Unless someone has any better ideas?" Slade asked looking to an angry Yang, she looks away in annoyance "Thought not"

Everyone grabs their belongings and whatever Dust they can carry with them. Maria sits on Bumblebee as Yang walks her bike. Ruby walks over to Oscar and hands over the handle of his cane. Slade used his Semblance to keep the bike steady without taking all the weight of Yang, knowing it would just upset her more.

Oscar accepted the cane from her "I'm just going to be another one of his lives, aren't I?

Ruby placed her hand over his "Of course not. You're your own person"

"Don't lie to him, Ruby" Qrow drinks from his flask "We're better than that" Ruby and Oscar look down sadly before walking to join the others.

"Qrow, that's enough" Slade glared back at him "We have enough negativity among us as it is without you adding to it"

"Why're you still even here?" Qrow asked angrily "You're only ever in it for the money anyway, you know Salem cannot be killed now. Why don't you just run off back to her and get all the money you-"

"Do you really think so little of me that you believe I would just abandon you all for money?" Slade asked.

"It's what you've been telling everyone since you started being a Bounty Hunter, why change now?" he asked getting in Slade's face.

"Qrow-" Yang tried.

"You know me better than that, Qrow. Yang knows me better than to believe that and she only met me a day beforehand. You've known me for years, you should know better... well... at least I thought you did" Slade turned away from him walking past the rest of the group.

Qrow looked away in shame, staring down at the snow below him "Slade-" he tried looking back up at him.

"C'mon" Slade motioned for the group to follow "There should be some farms not far from here. We can wait the storm out there"

"Storm?" Blake asked.

"He's right" Weiss sighed "If we don't move quick, we're gonna get stuck out here in a blizzard. We'll never get anywhere if we cant' see and freeze to death out here"

"Alright then" Yang sighed "Forward it is"

* * *

In the Land of Darkness, five Nevermores are perched on a rocky outcropping with large purple crystals. They fly away when an airship flies by them heading towards a large purple structure in the distance. The airship lowers down to an outcropping that serves as a dock, and Hazel, Mercury, and Emerald hop out. As they proceed forward, they notice Tyrian leaning against the entrance at the bottom of the stairs. His scorpion tail now has a spiked, metal tip covering it from where it was cut off.

Tyrian laughs "Welcome back, welcome back! I do hope you missed us as much as we missed you" Emerald and Mercury glare at Tyrian.

"Let's go" Hazel urged, the three proceed forward past Tyrian.

"Speaking of which, where is our Fall Maiden?" Tyrian asked. Emerald stops upon hearing this, prompting Tyrian to giggle, causing Emerald to growl.

"Emerald, come on" Mercury said turning back to her.

Tyrian adds in a mocking tone "Don't tell me something happened to her?" he laughs once again.

Emerald turns around and draws her weapons at Tyrian "I will cut off more than just your tail"

Tyrian chuckles as he slowly walks toward Emerald "Careful, little girl. Cinder isn't here to protect you anymore"

Tyrian gets close to Emerald's face, causing her to back away. Tyrian intentionally cuts his cheek with the blade of Emerald's weapon. Emerald has a disturbed expression on her face upon seeing this, and Mercury steps up to hold Emerald's shoulder and scare Tyrian away from her.

"Back off, freak" Mercury glared.

"Oh, don't misunderstand, I am in mourning just as you. Because it appears you've failed our Queen, and that is a tragedy" A moment later, Tyrian drops his sympathetic façade and starts to laugh maniacally. Mercury looks back at him in disgust while Emerald has a fearful expression on her face. The two of them and Hazel turn around to proceed up the stairs as Tyrian continues laughing.

In the meeting room, Salem opens her eyes and glares at her subordinates. Tyrian and Watts are seen fearfully sitting at the table while Hazel, Emerald and Mercury are kneeling at the other end of the room.

"I would like you to explain to me... how it is you failed so spectacularly?" Salem asked.

"The Faunus Militia split our forces-" Hazel began.

"Stop" Salem ordered. Hazel remains silent with a fearful expression on his face "Let me rephrase the question. who is responsible for your defeat?"

Emerald and Mercury stay kneeling as Hazel stands up to give his answer. Salem listens intently.

"I take full responsibility"

Suddenly, Salem flips the table over, knocking Tyrian off his chair. Watts hastily stands up from his seat and backs away.

Salem yelled angrily "But that wouldn't be fair now, would it?! We all know who's truly to blame" Salem walks forward and menacingly holds her hand out in front of her.

"I don't-" Hazel tried. Salem motions her hand, and a glyph with her symbol appears underneath Hazel. Multiple Geist hands come out from it and grab Hazel, forcing him down on all fours and suffocating him.

"Emerald" Salem called looking over to Emerald, who is still staring down with a fearful expression "I want you to tell me whose fault this was" Salem slowly walks over to Emerald as she breathes heavily "Now"

Emerald closed her eyes in fear "Cinder! We failed because of... Cinder" she answered quickly.

"That's right" she placed her hand on Emerald's shoulder "I want you to understand that failure. I want you to understand why Cinder must be left to toil in her isolation until she redeems herself" Salem walks away from Emerald. Both her and Mercury look up in surprise.

"You mean-" Mercury starts.

"She's alive?" Emerald finished.

"You're joking, how could you know that?" Watts asked skeptically.

"Are you questioning our divine savior?!" Tyrian asked accusingly.

Watts reels back "I-" Salem looks over to Watts and glares at him. Watts chuckles nervously "Of course not, forgive me"

Salem proceeds to address her subordinates "It's important not to lose sight of what drives us: Love, justice, reverence... but the moment you put your desires before my own... they will be lost to you" Salem releases Hazel from her grasp and walks back to the other side of the room. Hazel catches his breath.

"This isn't a threat, this is simply the truth. The path to your desires is only found... through me" she turns her head to glare back at them.

Hazel stands back up, Tyrian lets out a small chuckles, and Watts straigtens his coat. Salem looks outside the window and watches the Nevermores fly before looking down.

"And so we must press on" Salem turns around to face her subjects "The sword under Vacuo's academy, Shade-"

"Ma'am" interrupts, causing everyone to look at him "I have... more to report" Salem glares at Hazel for interrupting her, and has the Grimm arms ready under him. Hazel looks down at them in fear before explaining himself "Qrow and the children are taking the lamp to Atlas"

Tyrian laughs "Not if I can help it"

"Slade Stroud is now joined with them... and... they're being led... by Ozpin" Hazel finished.

At this, everyone slowly looks toward Salem with fearful expressions on their faces and Mercury notices the windows starting to crack.

"So soon?" Tyrian asked.

"He's the only man with a chance of getting through to Ironwood. If that happens-" Watts suddenly stops as he and everyone else notice the windows cracking. They then look to Salem, and dark smoke emanates from her.

"Leave" Salem ordered furiously.

"Your Grace, I can-" Salem glares at Tyrian, causing him to reel back. Emerald looks on in fear before Hazel puts a hand on her shoulder.

"Come on"

Everyone quickly proceeds to exit the room as the windows start to crack even more. Emerald takes one last look behind her as the doors close. Salem, left alone, seethes with anger before calming herself down. Everything is seemingly quiet, but then all of a sudden, Salem yells out in rage and the windows shatter violently. Salem began calming herself down "Okay, okay, okay, calm down. Everything is fine. All the pieces are in place, so I've had a minor setback with Haven, I'll just ensure we win at Atlas and Shade and there'll be no problem"

Salem's attention was suddenly attracted away from keeping herself calm by a soft clapping coming from behind her. Turning around she found Slade leaning against the nearby wall "Bravo, you really showed those windows who's in charge"

"I... am not... in the mood" she warned as the dark smoke begins to emanate from her again.

"My, don't we have a temper" he chuckled rising up from his place on the wall, passing her on the right "You know you'd probably have been better off not sending Cinder to recruit me again in Mistral. It showed me that you're not only desperate, but you're also going to force me into this one way or another... so I decided to choose a side for myself"

"Yet you chose the side without any clear profit, how exactly does that work for you?" she asked calming herself down slightly.

"I've been convinced to help out Ozpin with his mission to stop you once again. No amount of money matters when the world isn't around to spend it if you win"

"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked confused.

"I've caught onto why you want the relics so badly" Slade smirked looking back toward her "Ozpin really has had his work cut out for him"

"Augh!" she growled enraged "He drives me crazy! I throw everything I've got at him, kill him several times, and he still-" Salem stopped upon seeing the relic of Knowledge on Slade's belt "What... is... that?" she asked seething.

"Oh, this?" Slade asked looking down at it "I've just been carrying this around for a bit, keeping it safe and all"

"Ozpin trusts you to hold onto the relic after all you've done?" she asked with a low growl.

"I suppose not everything you've told me is true, Salem. Funny that, Ozpin hasn't been lying to me at all recently"

"I've got less than seventy-two hours to get rid of those bozos you're traveling with, or the entire scheme I have been setting up for TWENTY YEARS... goes up in smoke..." she walked toward him menacingly "And you... are carrying... MY... RELIC!?" she screamed in his face, no more than a couple of inches as the Geist hands erupted from the symbol on the floor beneath him attempting to grab him. They soon found Slade wasn't present, having nothing to grab onto.

Slade smirked up at her "Forgetting something?" Slade asked placing his finger onto the side of his head, Salem figured out he was using their connection to make her see him when he wasn't really there.

"AAAUUUUGH!" she screeched in pure rage, everything in the room exploding outward, the walls cracking from the tremendous power she just expelled.

"You've really got to work on that rage" Slade chuckled "It's bad for your heart, and yours is already black enough as it is"

"You've had... six years... to use our... connection... and you choose... now... of all times... to use it!?" she asked enraged.

"You could always do what I do Salem, shut me out. Block the connection so you cannot see or hear me... you know you wouldn't have to go through my relentless taunting if you did"

"I have left my connection open to your for six years, so you knew I was never hiding anything from you. Not like Ozpin-"

"Don't you mean Ozma?" Slade asked with a smirk.

Salem's rage suddenly vanished, replaced by pure shock "He... told you?" she asked almost meekly.

"I know everything, Salem. I know about him rescuing you from your tyrant of a father, you both fell in love and then he died. You tried to convince the God of Light to resurrect him but he refused and then you tricked the God of Darkness to do it for you. Until the truth came out in which Ozma was taken away from you, and you were cursed to be immortal, nothing you tried, not even a dunk into the pools here in the Land of Darkness could destroy you. That's how you ended up with your skin, hair, and eyes all looking like that" Slade explained "The God of Light resurrected Ozma into a curse of reincarnation and he went to find you, once he did you both lived together once more and even went on to have four daughters... but Ozma knew what you were both doing, playing god... was wrong. He tried to leave you but you killed him instead, so now he's fighting against you with everything he has because he doesn't know how to kill you and doesn't want the Gods of Light and Darkness to end humanity because of your mistakes"

"I cannot believe he would trust you with all of that..." she dropped onto her knees in shock "He's never told anyone about his connection to me... I thought he was ashamed of me, disgusted even"

"He's disappointed in what you've become, Salem. But I know he doesn't hate you like you might think he does. I imagine he probably still loves you just as much as the day he died... but now it's either having you or doing what's right, and he chose what's right"

"You don't know what he chose-"

"I know he wasn't the one who decided you should rule over humanity, that was your decision and he fought you on it with everything he had, but he loved you and didn't want to have to choose"

"He abandoned me!"

"You had already forsaken yourself when he made his choice" Slade shook his head at her "I've made my own choice, it's time you thought on your actions and take responsibility for your mistakes just like everyone else does... if you don't, you may never get what you truly desire" Slade disappeared as he finished his statement.

Salem slammed her fists into the ground, cracking the flooring around her as she screamed in anguish, tears flowing from her eyes "Ozma... my love..." she sobbed.

* * *

Back in the snow, Team RWBY, Qrow, Slade, Oscar and Maria proceed on the trail. The snow starts to pick up even more.

"Doesn't look like this is gonna let up" Qrow pointed out with a sigh.

"Just wanna get this stupid Relic to Atlas" Blake groaned.

"Let's hope we don't have to walk all the way there" Weiss added.

"I thought trails led somewhere" Yang called back to Maria sarcastically.

"Do you have nothing better to do than to harass a defenseless old lady?" Maria asked.

"Enough" Slade called back in annoyance silencing the group "All paths have an end, just because you cannot see the end doesn't mean it's not there"

"Everyone, quiet. Do you hear that?" Ruby asked.

Everyone stops in their tracks. A metallic squeaking can be heard. A large farm can be seen, one of the front gates swings back and forth with the wind. A large sign above the entrance reads "Brunswick Farms". Everyone arrives at the gate.

"As I said, all paths have an end" Slade said looking up at the sign.

"Well, at least one good thing happened today" Blake offered hopefully.

"It looks abandoned" Weiss pointed out.

"It's still better than this" Ruby gestured to the snow around them.

"Come on, I think we could all use some rest" Qrow offered as they entered through the gate. Slade held his hand up, signaling for them to stop "Slade? You sense something?"

"No" Slade answered "I don't sense anything" he looked around, trying to find a trace of any life whatsoever.

"Isn't that a good thing?" Blake asked confused.

"Have you ever seen a place abandoned for no good reason? No red flags are raising for any of you?" Slade asked.

"Maybe the Grimm attacked it, or they decided to leave and go to Argus like we were" Yang offered.

"Can't be" Slade shook his head "Grimm would cause damage and leave a trace that they've been here. A mass exodus of a small town like this would've left something, anything to show they left in a hurry, or at all for that matter"

"What do you mean? How can you tell they haven't left?" Ruby asked.

"He's right" Maria pointed out "How many farmers do you know that would just leave their crops so easily. Anyone I've ever met worthy of the title wouldn't run at the first sign of trouble, Grimm are common out in the sticks like this"

"Not to mention I spot at least one hunting rifle just lying out in the open" Slade pointed to it sitting on the porch. Something's not right here"

"We need to get out of this storm, Slade. Freezing to death can't be better than whatever is inside" Qrow sighed walking past him.

"You're telling me nothing about this feels off to you?" Slade asked "You and I both know our Aura's should be able to sense a trace of something here like anywhere else... but I can't feel anything"

"We'll deal with anything that gets in our way" Qrow growled "Now, c'mon. We need to get some sleep" The rest of the group slowly began following behind Qrow, Slade rubbed his forehead with his thumb and index finger in annoyance.

"Fine. Don't come crying to me when we all end up dead" Slade sighed as he followed behind them.

* * *

 **That's all for now, next chapter will be coming soon. Thanks for reading!**


	13. Alone

**Hello everybody! Here's yet another addition that you've all been so patiently waiting for, hope you guys like it.**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing!**

"Speech"

 _Thoughts_

* * *

 **Chapter Thirteen: Alone**

A snow storm appears at Brunswick Farms, making visibility difficult. A wind howling is heard.

Ruby sighs "I don't get it. The empty towns I've passed through were all damaged or unfinished. But this place looks... fine"

Team RWBY, Qrow, Oscar, Slade and Maria arrive at the porch of a residence. Weiss is shivering as she wraps her arms around her to keep herself warm.

"Maybe everyone left in a hurry. Before things took a turn?" Weiss offered.

Slade sighed in annoyance with a shake of his head "We've been over this, Schnee"

Qrow tries to open the door, only to notice it was locked "Hmm. Stay on guard" Qrow moves to kick the door open.

"Woah, there, bird boy" Slade stopped him "Allow me" he stepped forward and placed his hand through the door unlocking it from the inside before removing his hand "No need to break anything while we're here" Slade said as the door opened on it's own. Everyone proceeds forward with their weapons drawn. They cautiously look around the place.

"Close the door already! It's cold enough in here as it is" Maria shouted. Maria walks into the house. Afterwards, Blake and Oscar push a nearby drawer to block the door.

"I saw a chimney from the outside. Maybe we could get a fire going?" Blake offered.

"Please. I'll look for some blankets" Weiss replied.

"Yang, go with her" Qrow ordered.

Ruby lingers by the entrance hall for the bit while the others look around. Oscar can be heard opening a door.

"Looks like a study. Or, a library?" Oscar asked unsure.

Ruby walks forward to notice a group of pictures on the wall of the family that owns Brunswick Farms. Blake walks up next to her.

"What do you think?" Blake asked.

"Something doesn't feel right"

"Finally! Somebody agrees with me" Slade sighed exasperatedly.

"Let's look for some-" Blake began but was interrupted by a high-pitched scream.

"Weiss!" Ruby yelled heading up the stairs with Blake and Slade not far behind, arriving into the room Yang and Weiss were in. Qrow also arrives shortly behind them. They look on the bed to see a pair of decomposing corpses.

"Dear god" Slade gasped at the sight, stepping past the group he kneeled down next to the bed looking over the bodies extensively.

"C'mon" Qrow ushered the shocked girls out of the room while Slade continued to examine them. Quickly returning once they were back in the study, he found Slade walking toward him, having finished already.

"What do you think?" Qrow asked "Did they just happen to pass in their sleep?"

"Looks that way, but it doesn't seem... natural" he answered pondering what he had seen.

"What do you mean?"

"Well... if the bodies had died in their sleep, they would've soiled themselves afterward making a mess of the bed and their clothing if they wore any. But there's no sign of anything, almost like they didn't eat or drink anything for days before passing. It seems more likely that they died from starvation and dehydration from the looks of them"

"Why would they starve themselves to death? Were they unable to leave for some reason?" Qrow asked confused.

"Seems that way" Slade stared back at the bodies, still not quite sure "Something isn't right about it"

"You think something else is going on here?"

"I don't know what else is going on here, I just know as soon as that storm lets up I am leaving with or without you guys. There's no sense in staying here, something unnatural is going on" he left the room heading downstairs and toward the front door.

"Where are you going?" Qrow asked annoyed.

"Checking out the other houses" Slade answered passing through the drawer and the door to arrive outside.

* * *

A fire is burning in the fireplace. Weiss watches it, still shaken from what she saw earlier. Blake wraps a blanket around Weiss before sitting on the couch Yang is on. Slade walks back in through the door and drawer brushing snow off himself.

"It's the same in every house" he sighed.

"What?" Yang asked.

"Bodies. Every bed in every home. It's like the whole estate just went to sleep and never woke up" he answered.

"Then we're not staying here, right?" Weiss asked hopefully.

Qrow sighs "We don't have a choice. Storm outside's only getting worse. We'd freeze to death before we made it anywhere"

"Well, might as well get comfortable" Maria walks over to a bookshelf.

"Yeah, fat chance" Yang sighed.

"Okay, then, let's do something. If this place wasn't abandoned it might still have supplies we could use" Ruby pointed out.

"Hey, yeah. Maybe even a car" Oscar offered.

"I'll do a sweep of the grounds. No one else goes anywhere alone" Qrow ordered.

"Yang and I can search the other buildings for vehicles" Blake offered.

Yang replied annoyed "Fine, whatever gets me out of this house" Yang and Blake leave, with Ruby moving the drawer to let them exit. Afterwards, Ruby looks over to see Weiss at the doorway to the living room with a melancholic look on her face.

"Food always makes me feel better" Ruby chuckles nervously "Just saying"

"Right"

"I could use some grub" Slade added coming up behind Weiss, they all left the room together leaving Oscar and Maria alone in the study.

"I'll tell you what. You keep that fire fed" Maria finds a book with an "I" on the cover "and I'll find us a story to read before bed"

Maria sits back down on the couch and begins reading while Oscar sighs.

* * *

Slade pulls his flashlight from his coat and clicks it on, looking around the room. He finds alcholic bottles on the shelves. Weiss uses Myrtenaster to send small flames to light up the candles in the room.

"There" Weiss took a deep breath.

The three look around the room. Shelves are full of alcoholic bottles and a bar is seen as well.

"On second thought, maybe we should keep this room closed" Ruby suggested.

"Huh?" Weiss asked confused.

"I'm just... Not sure how well my uncle's taking all of this" Ruby explained.

"Oh"

"It's probably best if he doesn't know about this room at all" Slade agreed turning off his flashlight "He can be a bit impulsive"

There was a silence that filled the air for a brief moment before Ruby decided to break it.

"Come on, we'll never get to Atlas on an empty stomach!" Ruby walks forward, though Weiss lingers and sadly looks down. Ruby then opens up another door.

"Ruby? Are we really still going to Atlas?" she asked.

"Why wouldn't we be?" Ruby asked confused.

"I mean... you heard what Jinn said. If there's no way to kill Salem, then what's the point in all of this?" she asked depressingly.

"Weiss, you can't be serious" Ruby said in surprise.

Weiss sighs "Sorry, I- I don't know what I'm saying, I'm just really tired and I really, really hate this place" she walks up to enter the room with Ruby "Anything in there?"

Slade uses his flashlight to look around. He sees more alcoholic bottles arranged on a shelf on the right side of the room.

Ruby answers annoyed "More alcohol... At least we'll never have problems starting a fire"

"Weiss is right you know" Slade pointed out causing them both to stare at him in disbelief, his eyes appeared dilated "I... I... I don't know why I just said that" Slade added truthfully his eyes returned to normal "I just suddenly had an overwhelming sense of futility and... I don't know how to explain it"

"Maybe we should head back upstairs" Ruby suggested.

"What's that?" Weiss asked noticing a large metal cellar door in the ground. Its handles are chained together "A wine cellar? Great" she sighs.

Ruby then looks up to her left and lets out a yelp before zooming over.

"What? What is it?" Weiss asked surprised

"Food!" Ruby replied holding out a can that says "THREE BROS. BEANS: SHRIMP FLAVORED, EXTRA SODIUM".

Weiss groans incredulously "Canned food?"

"Oh trust me, you put enough salt on anything, and it will taste juuust fine" Ruby assured.

"Well, I guess it's better than nothing" The two share a smile. Weiss walks over and helps Ruby grab a few cans of food "But I still seriously hate this place"

"Gotta agree with you there" Slade picked up a few cans walking out of the room with them, he stopped short to look back at the cellar door "Anybody else know why somebody would lock a wine cellar underneath all of this alcohol?" Slade asked curiously "Doesn't seem... odd to anyone?"

"Probably just someone like Qrow" Weiss laughed "People will do anything to keep good alcohol safe" she and Ruby exited the room. Slade shrugged lightly before following behind them. The metal cellar door opens slightly, before shutting again with a startling bang. Slade stopped as he began going up the steps upon hearing the door clang shut. Placing the cans onto the steps, he reentered the room approaching the cellar door once more.

Slade removed Defiance from it's holster aiming it toward the door, using his Semblance to open the doors without breaking the chains he looked inside "Whatever's hiding down there, you can come out" he called receiving no answer. Stepping closer he looked inside to find the empty cellar with a small hole in the wall nearby, just big enough for a person to fit through "That must lead into the sewers, I'd get lost for days down there" he sighed closing the doors and placing Defiance back into it's holster. Picking up the cans again he exited the room entering the study behind Weiss and Ruby.

"What took you so long, Slade?" Ruby asked curiously.

"Thought I heard something, must've just been the wind" he answered placing the cans down with the rest of them the other two had taken up with them.

"Oh, well, at least it's nothing right?"

"I'm still not entirely sold on staying here" Slade sighed "All of the bodies I found in the other houses all died the same way, starvation and dehydration"

"Maybe they ran out of food?" Weiss suggested.

"There's more than enough to feed the two people in this house alone for weeks" Slade said gesturing to the cans on the floor "For some reason, they just allowed themselves to die in bed without doing anything about it" he sat down on the couch "Besides that, we're all completely unmotivated to do anything. I could chalk it up to what we learned about Ozpin if it was just the two of you as I know I am not unmotivated. If anything I am more motivated than ever before to stop Salem, but downstairs I wasn't"

"Everyone has moments of doubt" Maria spoke up.

"It was different than that" Slade shook his head "It felt almost like something was influencing me to feel that way"

"But you said it yourself, Slade. Nothing is here"

"I said I couldn't feel anything here, not that nothing was here" Slade corrected.

"No matter what caused you to feel that way, we cannot leave until the storm clears up" Maria sighed "Might as well make yourself comfortable, get some food in your belly and get some shut eye"

"I won't be sleeping tonight" Slade said definitively as he stood from his place on the couch, turning for the door he exited the room "I'm gonna go help Qrow search the grounds" he called back as he exited the building.

* * *

Ruby stares at the moon through a window, sitting on the staircase. Snow is drizzling outside. Ruby checks on Blake, Weiss, and Yang, who are sitting on the rug and staring at the fire from the fireplace. Maria reads a book while sitting on the sofa and Oscar is pacing back and forth. After checking on the others, Ruby stands up and walks toward Qrow. Qrow is sitting nearby the window, looking outside with his feet propped on the drawer.

"Storm's cleared up for now. We should be able to leave by morning" Qrow said turning to look at her.

"That's good"

"No... Slade's right... I don't have a good feeling about this place, especially with me around"

Ruby looks down at a wine bottle on the floor with Qrow's hand hovering near it, then looks at him.

"Are you... okay?"

Qrow scoffs "Sure. Tell everyone to get some sleep. I'll wake you guys up just before sunrise"

"What about Slade? He hasn't come back yet from going out to help you search the perimeter" she asked concerned.

"Slade knows where we'll be. If he doesn't come back by morning, we'll know he left without us"

Ruby sighs walking away as Qrow drinks from the wine bottle. Ruby pauses and looks back at him before narrowing her eyes downward. Back in the other room, the fire continues to burn. The book Maria is reading has a "III" on the cover, with the other two volumes on a nearby table.

"It's a diary?" Oscar asked.

"The head of this household, Bartleby. Apparently, he and several other families founded this little settlement to try and live on their own. It sounds like it worked, at least for a spell" Maria answered.

"Grimm?"

"Just one of many hardships. Slowed down their farming, made everything harder... It's a shame, really. He seemed like quite the ambitious fellow, always thinking of new schemes to overcome the odds"

Ruby walked back into the room "Hey guys. Qrow said we should get some sleep. We're gonna head out early tomorrow"

"Thank goodness" Blake groaned.

"What about Slade? He's not back yet, I'm worried about him" Yang asked concerned.

"Qrow said he knows where we'll be until morning, if he's not back by then... he left without us"

"He'll be back" Yang said lying down to go to sleep "Slade wouldn't abandon us now, he really came through for us at Haven" she smiled lightly at the thought.

"I hope you're right" Ruby whispered.

Everyone gets up to get ready to sleep. Maria hops off the couch "Hmph, the last thing you'll catch me doing is letting some kid tell me what to do" in a mimicking voice "Go to bed!" she scoffs. Maria sits on an armchair, turns on the lamp next to it and continues reading from the book. Ruby shrugs and smiles before going to sleep herself. The fire continues to burn in the fireplace.

* * *

By next morning, the fire is out. Sunlight seeps through the curtained window while Team RWBY and Oscar sleep on the floor. Maria rests on the armchair, still holding the book she was reading. Qrow sleeps on the chair by the window, still barely grasping the wine bottle in his hand. A couple other wine bottles are also on the floor. The bottle slips from his hand and clatters on the floor, causing Ruby to wake with a start. She looks around before rubbing her eyes and getting on her feet. She walks over to the window and opens the curtains.

Weiss mutters in her sleep "Close the window!"

Ruby walks over to the entrance hall and picks up the empty bottle Qrow dropped before walking over to her uncle.

"Uncle Qrow. Come on, get up" she shakes Qrow's shoulder.

Qrow groans "Leave me alone"

"We overslept" Qrow, still groggy, just lightly shoves Ruby away. Ruby looks at the empty wine bottle, and after a moment, her hand starts shaking. She angrily throws it against the wall, shattering it.

Qrow waking up startled "What?" Qrow looks around, seeing Ruby stand before him and then to the shattered bottle "Oh, right. Sunrise"

Ruby's angry expression softens, and she hugs her uncle "You know, you can talk to me about stuff. Yang too"

Qrow hugs Ruby back "Let's just get outta here" Qrow gets up from the chair, with Ruby following him.

"Slade never came back last night" Ruby pointed out.

"Then we know where we stand with him" Qrow sighed "Let's-" Suddenly a gunshot rang outside waking everyone simultaneously, they all rushed outside with their weapons drawn to see Slade standing outside with Defiance pointed upward.

"Well, looks like you guys are all awake now. Let's get a move on shall we?" Slade asked gesturing to Bumblebee and the flatbed trailer with a makeshift trailer hitch attached to the bike behind him.

"When did you have time to do this?" Yang asked.

"I didn't sleep last night, so I figured I would make use of my time. Aside from securing the perimeter all night that is" he answered.

"You stayed outside all night in the freezing cold to make sure nothing snuck up on us?" Qrow asked surprised.

"It's what I used to do back in the day when I went out on missions with my team, they were always pretty bad about night watch" he laughed at the memories "Those knuckleheads were something else"

"They certainly were" Qrow smiled lightly, recognizing his old friend in Slade's eyes.

Weiss, Blake, Yang, Qrow and Oscar's pupils appear to be dilated, while Ruby's and Slade's are their usual size.

"Can we just go back to bed?" Oscar asked.

"If we're all so tired, maybe we should make breakfast?" Blake suggested.

"You wanna make it?" Oscar asked.

"Not really" Blake replied.

"No more sleeping" Slade ordered "Something's off about this place and I don't intend to stick around long enough to find out what it is. You can all sleep on the ride if you'd like and I'll drive if it's alright with Yang" Slade explained.

"Ugh, do we have to?" Yang asked.

"Well, it's done now. So let's-" Qrow rests his foot on the side of the trailer, and the tire on the opposite side goes flat. He groans in frustration before checking on the tire.

"You people are just beacons for bad luck, aren't you?" Maria asked.

Frustrated, Qrow just walks over to a nearby fence post and sits on the ground. Yang also sits on the ground by the well.

"Not the best choice of words" Slade sighed looking at Maria.

"I'm starting to think the universe just doesn't want us getting to Atlas" Yang sighed depressingly.

Ruby sighs "It's just a flat tire, I'm sure there's a spare"

"It's not just that, it's everything. Storms, crashes, monsters" she sighs "I'm so tired"

"Me too. It feels like we're always having to fight to get by"

"Yeah. But that's what we signed up for"

"We signed up to try and save the world, not just... delay the inevitable"

"Last night, I... I couldn't stop thinking... why are we even going to Atlas?" Weiss asked.

Everyone shares troubled looks.

"Weiss, we have to" Ruby answered.

"Why?" Yang asked standing back up "Ozpin hid the Relics behind giant doors under enormous schools, but... how long would it take Salem to find a lamp in the middle of nowhere?"

"What? The Grimm might-"

"They'd find it eventually, sure, but bury it or just throw it down the well, it would take years. It might not even happen in our lifetime. But we could be done with it now"

"Wake up!" Slade shouted in annoyance.

"Excuse me?" Yang asked annoyed.

"There are always people out there who do bad things, that's not going to stop just because Salem's gone" Slade explained "Just because you cannot solve all the worlds problems or everything you do feels like you're only delaying the inevitable as you so gently put it, Oscar, doesn't mean you should just give up"

"But-"

"What was it you said back in Mistral, Yang? When I asked you how you're supposed to win against something like Salem?" Slade asked.

"By... trying" Yang answered.

"How're we ever going to accomplish anything if we never do anything. Maybe we wont save the world, maybe we wont stop Salem forever and maybe this will continue for another thousand years until she wins. But if we don't do anything, then what did our friends and families fight and die for?" Slade asked "Do you all think Pyrrha would've stopped fighting because things seemed bleak? I know none of my family would've and my team never backed down from a challenge, no matter how impossible it may have seemed"

"But they're all dead, Slade. Do you really want to end up like them too?" Blake asked.

"I'd rather die doing something than live forever doing nothing" Slade answered honestly "I had my time of doubt already, you brought me out of it Yang... don't be like I was" he pleaded.

The group was silent as they processed his words "Ruby..." Yang said looking up at her "Think about it, we'd never have to see something like what happened to Pyrrha ever again"

Ruby detaches the Relic of Knowledge from her belt, glancing at it before looking up at her teammates, who appear to all have dazed looks as if they were in a trance. Ruby stares at the Relic one more time before walking over to the well.

"I am... really..." her pupils become dilated "Tired" Ruby starts to have the same dazed look on her face as she holds Relic out above the pitch-black darkness of the well.

"Ruby!" Slade called noticing what she was doing "Stop!" Instead of dropping it immediately, Ruby hesitates for a bit before composing herself at Slade's words. She starts to pull the Relic back. Slade sighs in relief, then Ruby notices a pair of glowing red eyes at the bottom of the well, startling her and snapping her out of her trance-like state and returning her pupils to their normal size. In her fright, she accidently drops the Relic into the well. Ruby helplessly watches it fall into the darkness below.

"No! No! No! I didn't mean to!" she shouts earning an annoyed groan from Slade.

Her teammates continue to stare at her with dazed looks "Ruby, it's okay" Weiss assures.

"No! No, there's something down there! I saw it, it was looking at me!" Ruby looks back inside the well, only to notice the glowing pair of red eyes are gone.

Yang puts her hand on her sister's shoulder "Hey, it's okay. You just said you're tired. It's probably nothing. Now let's go"

Ruby swats Yang's hand off "What's wrong with you?! We can't just leave, we have to go down there! We have to get the lamp back! Oh, what was I thinking?!" she facepalms.

"All we have to do is fix this trailer. Hey, farm boy, check the shed for a spare" Qrow ordered.

"I'm not leaving without the lamp!" Ruby shouts angrily. Her teammates continue to dazedly stare at her.

"That makes two of us" Slade leapt down into the well after the lamp without hesitation.

Blake sighs "I'll go down with you"

"We'll go down together" Weiss added.

"Fine!" Qrow yells getting up "Get the stupid lamp. Oscar, fix the stupid tire" Qrow heads to the house, passing by Maria on the porch.

"Where are you going?"

"Where do you think?" he shakes his flask and walks back into the house.

Maria just looks down "Stupid" Maria takes a seat on the porch steps and continues to read another volume of Bartleby's diaries.

Slade removed his flashlight from his jacket once more turning it on as RWBY joined him in the underground waterway.

"Maybe the current carried it away" Yang noted aloud.

"Seems likely" Slade agreed "Follow the current and we find the relic" he proceeded forward cautiously. Weiss notices more tunnel openings along the path.

"Oh, come on, where is it?" Ruby wondered worriedly.

"Turn off your lights and just look for the glow?" Blake suggested.

"Good idea" Slade turned off his flashlight, Ruby pulls out Crescent Rose and proceeds forward with caution. Slade follows suit with Defiance in hand "There" Slade points up ahead. Ruby looks to the direction Slade is pointing toward and notices the blue glow of the Relic of Knowledge coming from a tunnel along the path. Ruby runs forward by herself. Ruby arrives at the tunnel, and finds the Relic of Knowledge on the ground. She runs over and picks it up.

"Guys, I-"

Ruby then looks up behind the Relic, adopting a horrified expression on her face. Multiple humanoid-looking Grimm of different sizes are bunched together. They turn their heads toward Ruby, reaching their arms out to her. Ruby lets out a terrified scream, and her teammates snap out of their trance-like states, their pupils returning to normal.

"Ruby?!" Yang yells concerned.

Ruby backs away and runs out of the tunnel. Yang, Slade, Weiss and Blake see her run out and approach her.

"What is it?"

The rest of the group notice the skeletal Grimm slowly trudging out of the tunnel. Ruby takes out Crescent Rose and fires multiple rounds at them. One of the Grimm lets out an ear-piercing scream, causing them to struggle to stand.

"What is this...?" Yang asked.

"My weapon... feels heavy" Blake groaned.

"Run!" Maria shouted from behind "Now!" Maria turns around and runs. They watch the Grimm start to move toward them.

"Go, go, go!" Ruby yelled as Slade began firing his weapon at them, to no avail.

They turn around and run, catching up with Maria. They see daylight coming from the well, but more of the Grimm appear and block their path. Another ear-piercing scream is heard, affecting the group. Ruby notices another tunnel entrance next to her.

"This way!"

They run into the tunnel. They continue to run through the complex underground passages while avoiding more of the Grimm's kind along the way. They then make their way to an underground room. However, They notice a much larger group of the Grimm at one end of the room. They make a run toward the other way, but one of the Grimm lets out another scream, causing them to collapse on all fours.

"I can't... do this... I can't" Yang struggled to move.

Maria gets back up, using her cane to support herself before collapsing again. On her fall, she feels a set of stairs in front of her "An exit. An exit!" she shouts.

Ruby looks up and notices the stairs leading up to the cellar door. Ruby crawls forward to Weiss. "Come on!" Ruby then hears a weapon drop behind her and notices Blake collapse to the ground, while the Grimm continue to inch toward her.

"Blake... get... up!"

Blake's pupils dilated "It's fine" Blake starts get her dazed look from before. More Grimm emerge from the entrance they came from. Ruby looks on in horror and in her desperation, crawls and attempts to reach out towards Blake, who continues to lie down motionless. The Grimm reach their hands down to her.

"BLAAAAAKE!" Upon yelling out her friend's name, Ruby's eyes start to glow brightly, causing the Grimm to back away in pain. Blake gasps and snaps out of her trance, her eyes back to normal. Ruby helps her up while Weiss, Yang, Maria, and Slade also get back up.

"I've got her!"

"What just happened?" Maria asked confused. Weiss runs up the stairs and tries to get the doors open, but they do not budge.

"They're locked!"

"Out of my way!" Yang runs up the stairs. The Grimm recover from their incapacitation, and another scream is let out. They all collapse once again. Yang reaching for the cellar door "No... No!"

Slade reached his hand up toward the door, using his Semblance to force them open with tremendous force, completely breaking them from the lack of control he had over his power in his current state "We have... to go... now!" he yelled helping Blake up with what little strength he could muster.

As the Grimm inch closer, Maria crawls toward Ruby, only able to see the world in shades of cyan.

"Ruby... what color are your eyes?"

"They're... silver"

Maria lets out a gasp of excitement "You have a family? Friends?"

"What?" Ruby looks up to see the Grimm getting closer, but Maria lays her head down and covers her ears. From Ruby's perspective, Maria's next words sound slightly muffled.

"Don't think about them. Think about the people who love you. Focus on the thought of them, the way they make you feel. Focus!" Taking Maria's advice, Ruby closes her eyes and concentrates "Life... is beautiful. It is precious. And it must... be protected"

After focusing, Ruby opens her eyes, the silver gleaming. She sits up and her eyes glow brightly once more, driving the Grimm back and disintegrating them all. Maria and Ruby stare in awe while Weiss, Blake, Slade and Yang recover. They run up the steps to find they're back in the basement where Slade, Ruby, and Weiss had previously searched.

"We're back in the house?" Blake asked. They then look at the bar and see Qrow leaning on the counter, passed out.

Ruby runs over and shakes her uncle "Uncle Qrow, get up!"

Qrow slurring his words "Hey! Get off me! What are you doing here?"

"We're leaving, you idiot! Come on!" Maria runs out of the room, with Blake and Yang following her. Weiss looks back towards the basement entrance.

"I'm not leaving until that damned tire-" Slade interrupted him by firing his gun into the bar counter beside him.

"Get. Up. Now" he growled.

"Not yet" Weiss turned back toward the destroyed cellar door.

Outside, Oscar has replaced the tire for the trailer and is filling it up with air. The noise from the air machine muffles the sound of people crying out his name.

"Oscar! Oscar!" Yang shouted.

"Oscar!" Maria joined.

Oscar looks behind him to see Yang, Blake and Maria run out of the house "Oscar! We have to go, now!" Yang yells. Oscar looks at them bewildered.

Back inside, Weiss grabs a few of the alcoholic bottles from the shelves and throws them towards the basement, shattering them.

Qrow still slurring his words "Hey... Hey! What are you doing?!"

As more of the Grimm slowly start to come out from the basement, Slade fires his gun into the spilled alcohol, setting the Grimm on fire.

"Now we can leave!" Weiss shouted triumphantly.

Slade helps Ruby grab Qrow's arms as they drag him out of the room.

"Stop it! Stop! What's wrong with you?! What's-" As Qrow looks up, he sees the Grimm on fire still walking towards them. Qrow looks on in shock as he is dragged out of the house by his niece and her friend. Outside, everyone sits in the flatbed trailer while Yang starts up her motorcycle. She wastes no time driving away from the now burning house.

* * *

Yang continues driving Bumblebee down the snowy road with everyone sitting in the trailer being pulled behind her.

"The Apathy. They're not strong or ferocious. They drain your will to go on. Bartleby's estate was hemorrhaging money towards the end. He wanted to cut costs on Huntsman protection, but in order to do that, he needed everyone calm... always"

Oscar reading from the book "Managed to get two away from their pack. Hike back was miserable, but got the bastards in the cellar. Wife thinks I was out sealing the waterway entrance. I'll do it tomorrow and tell her the truth once these things take the edge off of everyone. I'm tired"

"The next page proves that he did, but not before the rest of the pack followed their missing pair all the way home. My guess is they made their way beneath the estate through the water tunnels that Bartleby sealed up the next morning. Bartleby's plan worked" Maria takes the book from Oscar "No one was angry or sad or scared. No one was anything. And then... no one was left" Maria takes one more look at the final page of the diary, the last words written down being "I'm tired" She then closes the book and tosses it out into the snow, the cover having "VIII" on it, while the group continues to drive down the road.

"I'm... sorry for what I said... about giving up" Weiss apologized.

Upon hearing this, Yang stops driving "Me too. We can't quit until the lamp is safe"

"It's not your fault. It was those... things" Blake offered.

"I should have known. The signs were all there, but I'd never seen an entire settlement withered away like that. I suppose my mind just isn't what it used to be" Maria sighed.

"I didn't even know the signs and I could tell something was wrong, but I never would've guessed it was an entire pack of Grimm hiding in their basement" Slade pointed out, that's certainly no Grimm I'd ever like to meet again" he added with a small shiver.

"Miss Calavera? How do you know so much about the Grimm? And in the tunnels, you knew exactly what to say to make me... to make my eyes do that. How?" Ruby asked.

Maria smiles at her "Well, isn't it obvious, girl? I had Silver Eyes"

"You and Ruby both have... had, Silver Eyes?" Slade asked "That would make sense, you did seem a bit too knowledgeable for someone who wasn't a Huntsmen, you must've at least had some training I assume?"

* * *

Salem stood overlooking the dark pools where the God of Darkness once resided, watching the Grimm continue to spawn from it's waters. Tyrian approached from behind bowing to her and dropping down onto one knee.

"Your Grace" he greeted.

"I have given you and Watts your orders, why're you still here?" Salem asked not turning to look at him.

"We're prepared to leave in but a moment... but before I left, I wondered if you might do me the honor of answering a question"

"Speak, and I may answer"

"You've never told me, anyone what your plans are once you get the relics. We know what it is that we want, but what is it that you want?" he asked curiously. Salem remained silent, never turning to look at him, Tyrian understood what this meant and rose from his place "I understand, your Grace" he bowed once more before turning to leave.

"The world began in darkness and will so end... the hearts of humanity are no different" Salem spoke stopping him in his tracks "Darkness sprouts within it, grows, consumes it. Such is it's nature... in the end, every heart returns to the darkness whence it came" she turned to look at Tyrian "Darkness is the heart's true essence" she finished as he turned back to look at her.

"What of the hearts that don't? Tyrian asked.

"You mean like Ruby Rose?" she asked.

"Among others" he replied.

"There are some hearts that are consumed by light" Salem sighed "They all share the same fate in the end... all lights eventually fade, and only darkness remains"

"Then all hearts truly do return to darkness, just as the world should" Tyrian smiled at her "Thank you-"

"Tyrian" she smiled lightly at him "You're the first to be brave enough to ask me such a question and not only understand my answer but also have proven yourself worthy of it" she placed her hand onto his shoulder as she passed by "We have always sought out hearts that quiver with hatred, burn with rage, scarred by envy... That's how I have chosen my recruits, but you're different. Your heart holds none of these things, yet you're here"

"I always knew I had a purpose, I just couldn't figure out what it was until I met you. You showed me my place in the world, by your side... I can never repay that gift, but I will never stop trying" he explained.

Salem smiled genuinely, knowing he spoke the truth. Her thoughts shifted back to her daughter's and a small pang of guilt surged through her until her mind settled onto Ozpin again "That fool Ozpin once said the world's true nature is beyond understanding... but it's not beyond mine. Darkness is the source of all power, even the Light cannot match the Darkness in it's purest form" she hovered her hand over his chest "A gift" she smiled as dark smoke emanated from her hand pouring itself into him. Tyrian's irises shifted to the same shade of red as Salem's own.

"Thank you, your Grace" he grinned "I go now to secure your place as this world's rightful ruler and true savior" he turned to leave, proud of the path Salem laid out for him.

Salem turned back toward the dark pools below "Slade... You will join me one day, whether you choose to or not. It will be a lot easier if you chose it of your own free will, but in the end... I will have your heart!" she grinned and began laughing wickedly.

* * *

Maria is finishing her story to Team RWBY, Qrow, Slade, and Oscar, who all have wide-eyed expressions.

Qrow is astounded "I can't believe it. You... You're the Grimm Reaper, you were a legend! And then you disappeared"

"How exactly does a legend just disappear?" Oscar asked.

"You never used your name, never showed your face. Lots of us thought you were just layin' low. Eventually, we just came to accept that you were probably dead. But the stories about you, I based my weapon off of yours. I wanted to be as good as the Grimm Reaper"

"Well, I'm nothing but a disappointment, so you're well on your way"

"How can you say that?" Blake asked.

"Child, a Huntress is supposed to protect others to the bitter end. But after I lost my eyes, I only ever looked after myself. Even after my surgery, I was too afraid to fight. Afraid someone would find me again, finish what the others started. You shouldn't aspire to be like me, especially when some of you are clearly stronger already" Upon hearing this, Yang looks down sadly "It's... comforting, seeing that your generation seems up to the task of inheriting this world. I'm just sorry I didn't do more to leave it in better shape"

"Well, maybe you can do something now. Teach me to use my powers the way you did" Ruby offered.

As Maria looks back at Ruby, a Scroll's ringtone can be heard. Ruby pulls her Scroll out and gasps in excitement "It's Jaune!"

Yang stops her bike, looking back in surprise. Everyone says "Huh?" as they wonder how Jaune contacted them.

"How? Weiss asked.

Ruby answered her Scroll "Uh, hello?"

"Ruby! Oh, thank you! I've been checking my Scroll for your signal since we made it to the city!"

"The city? Wait..." Ruby looks to her Scroll, her contact name for Jaune being "Vomit Boy". She looks at the little signal symbol under Jaune's portrait, watching it get better as she points her Scroll toward the road ahead. The group sees a hill where the snow ends. Yang proceeds forward to drive them up the hill. At the top of the hill, the group sees a walled city in the distance along the ocean.

Yang smiling at the sight "Ladies and gentlemen, we have arrived in Argus"

* * *

At the entrance to the city of Argus, Yang inputs a code, "4-5-8", to lock Bumblebee and the trailer in a garage. Team RWBY, Qrow, Slade, Oscar, and Maria take the time to admire their surroundings. Through the crowd, a certain bubbly ginger-haired girl in pink zooms in.

"Cute! Boy! OZ!" Nora points her finger to the group. Oscar looks over in confusion, only to get tackle hugged by Nora "Oh, come here!"

Jaune and Lie Ren also arrive "Are you all okay?" Ren asked as he hugged Yang.

"We were so worried!" Jaune added hugging Blake.

"It's been kind of a crazy trip" Yang answered.

"That's an understatement" Weiss snorted.

Nora noticed Maria "Wait, who's the old lady?" she asked confused.

"I'm so glad you're all safe" Blake smiled lightly.

"Seriously" Weiss agreed with a small smile of her own.

"Ah! You're gonna love this place!" Nora shouted excitedly.

As everyone else engages in their own conversations, Ruby and Jaune walk up to each other and give each other a big hug. After parting from the hug, Jaune looks down and frowns.

"Hey. I promised, didn't I?" Ruby asked with a smile.

Jaune smiles back while tears well up in his eyes "Yeah, you did" he wipes his eyes "It's good to see you guys" The two share a smile together.

"I wasn't going to let anything happen to them" Slade waved off "You needn't have worried" he added as he passed by them.

The group boarded a trolley, traveling through the city "It's a lot bigger than I thought it'd be" Yang pointed out.

"It's actually one of the largest non-capital cities in all of Remnant" Ren explained.

Ruby gasps "No way! But wait, wouldn't it be harder to settle something this big away from the main Kingdom?"

"Well, it was, until Mantle showed up. Early settlement attempts by Mistral didn't go well. But colonists from Mantle were able to help them brave the cold climate and return for goods that Solitas couldn't provide" Jaune explained.

"The two nations worked together to create a hybrid city. While it falls under Mistral domain, Atlas keeps a military presence here to help keep the people safe and keep trade between the two nations steady" Ren added.

"Well, until recently" Nora sighed.

The trolley makes a stop and everyone hops off "We should probably start looking for a ship" Blake pointed out.

"So, where have you guys been staying?" Oscar asked Jaune.

"Uh..." Jaune chuckles nervously .

"There you are!" As the trolley leaves, a blonde woman, with her baby son, Adrian, in her arm is seen on the other side of the street waving to Jaune.

"Is that...?" Yang asked.

"Hey, Saph" Jaune smiles and waves back.

Ruby then zooms in, all starry-eyed. She looks back and forth between Jaune and Saphron, and gasps upon realizing who the woman is. Slade sighed in mild annoyance from all the excitement, he was tired from staying up all night at Brunswick Farms.

"This is gonna be a long day"

* * *

"I can't believe I'm meeting your sister! I have so many questions" Ruby ranted excitedly.

"Oh, I can give you the rundown later!" Nora laughed.

"Will you guys knock it off?" Jaune asked mildly annoyed.

"What? I love telling stories about my baby brother" Saphron squeezes Jaune's cheek.

Jaune began groaning while also flailing his arms at his elder sister "I am not a baby! That is a baby" points at Adrian, who huffs back at him

Yang and Weiss get all wide-eyed as they fuss over Adrian. Both of them make baby talk at him "Aww, you're so cute! Yes you are! Oh, look at your little face!" Yang gushes.

"Aww, coochie-coochie! Aw, baby! Oh my!" Weiss adds mimicking Yang's tone.

Slade stared at the group happily conversing with each other, he groaned in annoyance earning Saphron's attention, he quickly headed upstairs.

"Where're you going?" Saphron asked "You just got here"

"Unlike some of these people, I didn't get any sleep last night" he sighed "And damned glad of it!" he nearly shouted referring to all the Grimm beneath the estate "So I am going to find a quiet place to lay down and get some shut eye"

The group stared after him, Saphron looked away somewhat disappointed "I didn't know you had a friend with such a temper"

"Slade's just cranky because he didn't get any sleep last night" Weiss waved off "Don't let him bother you"

"Yeah" Oscar laughed "That's nothing compared to what I've heard Yang can-" he stopped when he noticed her glaring at him "I mean she's a perfectly well behaved angel who would never conduct herself in a manner such as Slade just previously displayed"

"You could almost hear the back peddling" Blake laughed.

"What happened that made him not sleep?" Ren asked concerned.

"We stopped at a place called Brunswick Farms after the train crashed, Slade had been telling us from the moment we got there that something was wrong but we needed to get out of the snow storm so we didn't freeze to death. Once inside we found out everyone in the estate died in their sleep, natural causes from what Slade could tell" Ruby explained.

"Slade refused to go to sleep as he knew something was off, the rest of us knew it too but we were just too tired to care. Slade woke us the next morning ready to leave immediately but..." Yang stopped short "There was some type of Grimm, Maria called them Apathy" she explained "They're apparently what killed everyone who lived there by making them so tired they never did anything but sleep, there was dozens of them underneath the estate in the waterways"

"We only barely managed to get out of there in one piece, if it hadn't been for Maria telling me how to use my eyes properly we never would've made it" Ruby added.

"Don't forget what Slade did to help" Weiss pointed out "Even in his weakened state he was able to destroy the cellar door blocking our way"

"So that's why he's so upset?" Saphron asked.

"I'd be upset too if I almost died to something like that and didn't get any sleep to top it off? I'd be livid" Nora agreed.

"That's not why he's upset" Qrow sighed.

"It... isn't?" Ruby asked confused.

"Slade's lost a lot of people close to him over the years... his parents and siblings, his teammates from Beacon... Slade just almost lost all of us today because of my stupid decision to stay there, we should've kept moving"

"So... Slade's upset because he was scared he was going to lose you guys?" Saphron asked "As far as reasons go for being angry, that's probably one of the best I can come up with"

"Yeah" Qrow agreed "We'll let him be for a bit, let him catch up on some sleep before we start fresh in the morning. Slade's mood will have improved by then"

"So Saphron, you're the only Arc living here?" Blake asked curiously.

There's a picture on the bookshelf of the Arc siblings all together, with the young Jaune at the center with pigtails and a deadpan expression while holding a sign that says "Help" on it while his sisters do various crazy things around him.

"Yep! Moved the second I could. Jaune and I are the only two living away from home" she began speaking in a teasing voice "I guess he just wanted to be like his big sis"

"I, uh..." he groans.

Saphron continued her teasing "Aw, you didn't deny it!"

The two siblings play fight with each other by pulling each other's cheeks. Then, a door is heard opening. A dark-haired woman with glasses is seen walking in with bags of groceries.

"Everyone, this is my wife, Terra Cotta"

"Hello!" Ruby calls.

"Hey there!" Nora shouts with a wave.

"Nice to meet you" Blake offered.

Terra chuckles "Why, hello there! Wow, quite a party, you weren't kidding. Hun, can I get some help please?" Saphron quickly runs over to help Terra in the kitchen. Not much later, Jaune, Ren and Nora are preparing sandwiches for everyone.

"And you're sure it's alright if we stay with you?" Weiss asked curiously.

"Of course, we're happy to house Huntsmen and Huntresses" Saphron assured them.

"You all risk so much to keep people like us safe. It's the least we can do" she turned to Qrow "Especially for such an elite Huntsman like yourself. Although, I will say I was surprised to learn you had students helping you. Is that even... legal?"

Qrow, not paying attention, gets his arm bumped by his niece "Uh, of course. Think of it as an extended training mission. Trust me, I was a professor. Even went to the same academy as them. Let me tell ya, these kids are way better than we were at their age" Jaune, Ren and Nora walk back into the room with plates full of sandwiches. Ruby gasps happily upon seeing them "Well, not better than me specifically, but a lot of students-" Qrow continued.

"Shut up, there's food!" Ruby shouted. Everyone heartily eats the sandwiches. Saphron and Terra share a look with each other, before the latter's Scroll is heard buzzing.

Terra sighs "Excuse me, I'll be right back" she answers her Scroll and walks out of the room "Hello?"

"Is everything okay?" Blake asks concerned.

"Oh, yeah, it will be. Terra's a technician for the town's relay tower. Unfortunately, the military's radar system is also housed there" Saphron began making baby talk at Adrian "Guess what's been on the fritz lately and who's getting falsely blamed"

Terra peeking back into the room "Me"

"So, what's your plan for tomorrow?" Saphron asked.

Ruby with her mouth stuffed answers "Well..." she takes a big gulp "We're trying to make our way to Atlas. We'll probably start with the military base"

Nora and Ren share concerned looks.

"So, we kind of already tried that, and... it didn't go... super great" Jaune said rubbing the back of his neck nervously.

Yang waved him off "Come on, it couldn't be that bad"

* * *

 **Chapter fourteen is in the works as we speak! Hopefully won't be too terribly long before I have it out to you guys. For anyone interested, keep a look out for the RWBY soundtrack for Volume 6 coming this Friday!**


	14. Argus

**Hello everybody! I managed to get some free time on my hands this week so I figured I'd get this chapter out to you a bit earlier than expected. Hope you guys like it, thanks for reading!**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing!**

"Speech"

 _Thoughts_

* * *

 **Chapter** **Fourteen: Argus**

Yang puts her hands on the bars of the gate to speak to the guards "Come on! You didn't even hear us out!"

"Our orders are clear: The Mistral-Atlas border is closed!" the first guard yelled.

"Please!" the second yelled.

"Have a good day!" the first finished.

"But-"

"A good day!" they both yelled silencing her.

"Hey, if you don't wanna believe that I'm friends with Ironwood-" Qrow started.

"General Ironwood!" they corrected.

"Yeah, General Ironwood, then fine. But look, we have Weiss Schnee with us and we're trying to get her home safely" Weiss looks down with reluctance upon hearing Qrow say that. The two guards look to each other before turning their attention back to the group.

"Approach!"

Weiss shares a look with Blake Belladonna, who just shrugs. Weiss then walks up to the gate and the two guards step up and bend down to inspect her. After a moment, both guards stand straight back up.

"Very well!" they both yell.

"You may speak with our commanding officer!" one of the yells.

"We will fetch her at once!" the second adds. The two guards turn around in sync, and chant "Hup hup hup" and "Atlas Atlas Atlas" as they run to get their superior.

"They were... kind of-" Blake started.

"Super wierd? Uh, yeah" Ruby finished in agreement.

"Hmm..." Maria pondered aloud.

"What's wrong?" Oscar asked.

"Well, I... may know this commanding officer" she answered.

"That's good, isn't it? If she's your friend, then maybe she'd be more willing to help us" Ruby said hopefully.

"I wouldn't exactly call us... "friends" Maria corrected.

"Acquaintances?" Weiss hoped.

"Not quite"

"Colleagues?" Blake tried.

"Warmer"

"Enemies?" Yang asked cringing.

"That's the one!"

"Wait, what?" Oscar asked confused.

"Oh, yes. I come through here about once every ten years to get my eyes checked up in Atlas. You bring outside cashews on one flight, and suddenly you're placed on the additional screening list for life!"

"You've gotta be kidding me" Qrow sighed.

"Now, now, let's not give up hope yet" she remains silent for a moment "Maybe she's dead!" Suddenly, the gates open up quickly, and the two guards return.

"Introducing!" the first yells.

"Special operative!" the second adds.

"Caroline Cordovin!" they finish in unison.

Footsteps can be heard approaching revealing a short-statured elderly woman around Maria's age wearing the standard Atlesian officer uniform. Cordovin steps forward and glares at Maria.

"Witch" she greets Maria.

"She-devil" Maria shoots back.

"Hm. I've seen you've chosen larger contraband to smuggle this time"

"Oh, Cordo. You know they say time changes people, but I see you've still got that stick right up your-"

Ruby interrupting "H-hello! Miss, uh, Cordovin. My name is Ruby Rose, and I was wondering if you would hear us out about-"

"I've already heard what your other little friends had to say, Miss Rose" she looks behind Ruby, noticing Jaune, Nora, and Ren standing a little ways away behind the group "What are you doing back here?! I thought I told you to leave!"

Nora tries to charge forward, only to be held back by Ren and Jaune "And I told you we wouldn't rest until you let us through!"

Ren nervously smiling and waving "Nice to see you again as well!"

"You civilians are clearly incapable of comprehending the importance of our mission here in Argus. So allow me to say this slowly, with smaller words: This base, that relay tower, the very safety of Argus are all gifts from the glorious Kingdom of Atlas! It is my duty to uphold them, as only I have the wit and tenacity for such a task"

"Such wit!" the first guard yelled.

"Such tenacity!" the second added.

"Or maybe Atlas just wanted to get you as far from the kingdom as possible" Maria chuckled.

Cordovin growls "You're just like the rest of these Argus ingrates! This city wouldn't even be here if it weren't for our Atlesian ancestors, and what do we get in return? The entire world is ready to put a knife to our throats!"

"Please, we know your kingdom had nothing to do with the Fall of Beacon. We were there" Ruby tried to assuage her concern.

"No one's happy about the Atlas borders or embargo, but I know General Ironwood is just worried. It's why we need to talk to-" Weiss tried.

"The General is no coward! Atlas is strong. If all the kingdoms plan to make us their enemy, then so be it! Atlas will prevail!"

"Atlas will prevail!" both guards yelled.

Yang sighs unimpressed "Do you guys seriously have to do that?"

Cordovin sighs "If Miss Schnee has truly come to her senses and wishes to return to her family, then, of course, the Atlas military will escort her home. But the kingdom will not be responsible for her "friends" of... questionable character" glances at Blake specifically upon saying her last statement.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Weiss asks in a hostile tone.

"It means we're done here" The gates to the base close quickly, leaving the group outside once again.

"Is that what that means?" Slade asked from behind Cordovin and her guards standing with his arms crossed.

"Intruder!" both the guards yelled attacking him, by the time Cordovin turned around through the painful grunts of her men she found them both lying face down on top of one another with Slade's boot on top of them, lazily holding them down.

"Cordovin" Slade greeted.

"Stroud" she said back with mild annoyance "Don't tell me you're with this rabble?" she asked.

"Those "Rabble" are my friends and we have a top secret mission we're on for Ozpin to deliver precious cargo to General Ironwood himself to be secured in Atlas" Slade explained.

"Ozpin? The dead professor of Beacon?" Cordovin asked surprised "How long have you had this mission?"

"They've had it since Beacon fell, they were all present for it" Slade answered gesturing to the group "Well, Maria wasn't but we picked her up along the way. I ran into Ms. Xiao Long just outside Mistral before Haven Academy was attacked by the same people responsible for Beacon, though that's not the story we fed the public to reduce panic"

"So you've just recently become a part of this mission?" Cordovin asked curiously.

"I didn't receive orders directly from Ironwood himself if that's what you're asking, but yes I have only been part of this mission for a short time. Atlas is the only place safe enough for our cargo" Slade explained.

"What exactly is your cargo?"

"Classified, you know how it is" he shrugged.

"Well, unless I hear otherwise from General Ironwood I am not to allow anything through with the exception of Ms. Schnee if she were so inclined to go on her own. Unfortunately I cannot help you"

"You and I both know you wouldn't have this position if I didn't reveal your superiors corruption a few months ago, Cordovin. Do me a favor a cut a guy a break" Slade asked as nicely as he could, she pondered his request "Please" he added never breaking his smile.

"I'm sorry, Stroud. I know you've been falsely put on our watchlist because of your association with Adam Taurus and Roman Torchwick, but my hands are tied. I will send a message up the chain of command for General Ironwood, but it could take weeks before he receives it"

Slade stood up straight with a disappointed sigh "Thank you, Cordovin. You do what you have to do and I'll do what I have to do" Slade walked toward the gate passing through it.

"Don't you dare try anything, Stroud!" she yelled after him "You're already in hot enough water as it is with Atlas!" she yelled after him.

"Oh yeah? Well, your face looks... like a big dumb boot!" Nora shouted.

Jaune deadpanned "Way to show her, Nora"

"Didn't go well?" Yang asked Slade.

"She'll send a message to Ironwood and hope we get something back, she's just keeping up appearances right now" Slade smirked "Unfortunately it could take weeks before he receives that message and we don't have that kind of the time.

"What do you mean?"

"Salem said she had less than seventy-two hours to stop us from arriving in Atlas with the relic when I spoke to her. That was while we were still on our way to Brunswick Farms" Slade explained.

"You spoke to Salem telepathically?" Blake asked.

"Yeah, she knows about Ozpin and she's not pleased" Slade answered "If I had actually been present she would've killed me" he chuckled nervously.

Ruby, Blake and Yang look to Weiss "I don't..."

"Weiss. I told you we wouldn't leave your side for a second. We'll find a way to Atlas. Together" Ruby places her hand on Weiss' shoulder. Weiss smiles and nods back at her friend. Qrow starts to walk away.

"So... where are we going now?" Ruby asks.

"Yeah, what's the plan?" Nora asked equally curious.

"The plan? The plan just got shut on our face three times over. I'm going for a drink" he answered bitterly.

Ruby running over to her uncle "Uncle Qrow, I really think we should try and come up with something-" Qrow walks away before she could finish "-together"

"What's his problem? It's not your fault we can't go on" Jaune asked confused.

"If he's gonna be a jerk then we'll just come up with something without him. I mean, we've got Ozpin with us! He usually knows what to do" Nora said excitedly. Upon hearing this, Oscar looks down sadly, and Weiss, Blake and Yang exchange troubled looks.

"What is it?" Ren asked noticing this.

"It's a long story, one we'll tell you back at the house" Slade answered leading them away from the base.

* * *

Jaune punches the wall of Saphron's home, leaving a very large crack in it.

"Jaune!" Ruby yelled.

"Everything we did was for nothing!" Jaune yelled angrily.

"That's not true" Blake argued.

"Really? Cuz it sure does sound like it" Nora replied angrily.

"I, um..."

"If Salem can't be killed, then how are we supposed to win this?" Ren asked. Everyone remains silent.

"Wow... Great plan everyone!" Jaune said sarcastically.

"Look, none of this is great, we know. But we're not the bad guys here" Oscar said trying to calm them down.

"Are we sure about that?" Jaune asked in a hostile tone.

"What?" Oscar asked confused.

"He's in your head, isn't he? Did you already know about this?" he angrily walks over to Oscar.

"He didn't know any of it!" Weiss defended.

Jaune grabs Oscar and shoves him against the wall "How much longer can we even trust him?!"

"Jaune!" Yang yelled.

"How do we even know it's really him?! What if we have been talking to that liar this whole time?!"

"Jaune!" Ruby angrily glares at Jaune, who glares back at her. He looks back over to Oscar, who is cowering in fear.

Slade grabs Jaune and forces him to release Oscar "You really want to start having that conversation, Jaune?" Slade asked "I have Salem in my damned head, you want to start accusing me of being her?" he asked pushing him backward.

"I-"

"Do I sound like Salem to you?" he asked "Would you even notice?" he pushed Jaune again.

"Slade, stop it!" Yang yelled.

"You're not the only one that's lost people because of him!" Slade yelled stopping in front of Jaune "You don't see me laying into Oscar for it, do you?" Slade asked turning to leave out the back door.

Jaune, realizing what he has done, looks to Oscar with an apologetic look on his face. Jaune then goes upstairs. A door can be heard opening and slamming shut.

"Is he... gonna be okay?" Yang asked.

"I don't know!" Nora yelled getting up and leaving.

"I think it would be best if we had some time to ourselves" Ren leaves and heads upstairs as well.

Team RWBY and Oscar remain in the living room "Maybe we could all use some space" Blake suggested. Everyone stays silent. Oscar looks down sadly.

* * *

Ruby heads outside onto the backyard porch with her Scroll to her ear "Come on, please" Ruby takes away the Scroll from her ear, looking at the screen with Qrow's portrait on it and text above it in red letters saying "No answer" she groans in frustration "Where are you?!" she throws her Scroll into the yard.

"You know, I came out here to avoid the yelling" Maria sighed.

Ruby notices Maria sitting next to a small table with a plate of fruit on it "Sorry. The others went to get food for tonight"

"Why not go with them?" she asked curiously.

"I don't know" she sits down on the porch "I don't know anything... What do I tell Jaune and his team when we don't even have a plan? Qrow's out drinking, Ozpin hasn't come back and even if he did, I don't know if I could trust him. Slade's always pissed off and Salem is stuck in his head. There's always Jinn, but... we only have one more question we can ask her. I feel like I'm letting everyone down"

"You know, you don't give yourself enough credit"

"Oh" she chuckles "Thanks"

"That wasn't a compliment"

"Uh... what?"

"If I have to explain it to you, it will just defeat the purpose. But if you're tired of not knowing anything, how about we discuss those eyes of yours?"

"Oh!" Ruby stands up "Yes, ma'am, I would be honored!"

"Sit back down, for Pete's sake" Ruby does so. "Let's start with what you do know. Tell me"

"Uh... Silver-Eyed people are supposed to be legendary warriors. Or something. And at the Fall of Beacon, I turned a giant Wyvern into stone"

Maria shakes her head "Oh, boy"

"Look, if I already knew everything I wouldn't be asking for help!" she crosses her arms and huffs.

"Yelling" Ruby looks back up with a sorrowful expression on her face. "It's not your fault. I had my father to teach me, and even he didn't have all the answers. But what he told me makes sense, given what I've seen"

"Was he a Huntsman too?" Ruby asked curiously.

"It wasn't really an official title back in his day. I only knew him as an old soldier and an excellent teacher. I never attended one of those fancy academies of yours, but I scored higher on the license exam than any other Huntsman or Huntress that day"

Ruby smiles "You must've been proud"

"Heh, he would've scolded me for showing off. He'd never been able to find much information about our abilities. Just legends of warriors whose eyes shone like mirrors, reflecting the light of the world onto darkness. He found so little, in fact, that it made him cautious. How could such powerful bloodlines be so rare? Unless something was actively seeking to destroy them"

"Salem"

"I tried to keep my powers a secret, but as you know, it wasn't enough. I owe my life to my training, and my Semblance. At the end of the day, those are still your most powerful tools"

"What is your Semblance?"

A lemon is shown dropping from the tree, which Maria catches before it could hit the plate of fruit "Preflexes"! A silly name I came up with. Hard to explain, but I can sense everything better than most and react to attacks almost before they happen. Combine that with my training and secret ability to turn Grimm to stone, or blind them, or vaporize them" she clears her throat "And that's how you become the Grimm Reaper!" she smiles.

"So, how do I laser beam monsters with my eyeballs?" Ruby asked excitedly.

Maria smacks Ruby on the head with her cane "First, you stop thinking like that! I want you to think of all the times you've triggered your powers. What did those moments have in common?"

Ruby rubbing her head "I... was scared, and stressed. Is it emotional? Like unlocking a Semblance?"

"It's emotional but more focused than that. Think, what is it you wanted?"

Ruby clenching her hands "I wanted to protect my friends"

"Precisely! It is the desire to preserve life which fuels the light inside you. And to make no mistake, it is light. Preservation is an extension of creation, or, at the very least, an enemy of destruction. The Creatures of Grimm were made by the God of Darkness, but your light comes from his brother"

"How do you know that?"

"I always knew how to use the light, but never why it only worked on the Grimm. Then, Jinn showed us her vision. Were you paying attention?"

Ruby closes her eyes and thinks back to when the God of Light destroyed all the Grimm in the Land of Darkness. The God of Light transforms into his dragon form, revealing his own pair of Silver Eyes.

"The God of Light... His eyes!" she stands up "Okay, where do we start?"

"Well, not here. The light will only work in the presence of Grimm. Meaning the only practice you'll get will be a trial by fire. But, what you can do is focus on creating a state of mind that you can tap into when you need it. Don't think about your light as a means of destroying evil, but as a way to protect the people of Remnant"

"But, that can't be right"

"Hm?"

"You said the light only reacts to Grimm, but... I used it during our battle at Haven. It reacted to Cinder"

"Interesting... Perhaps there was something that you just weren't seeing?"

"Ruby!" Yang called rushing outside. Ruby notices Yang at the door. Ruby walks back into the house to see Weiss and Blake present as well.

"Oh, hey guys"

Jaune also walking into the room with Ren and Nora "What's going on?"

"It's Oscar and Slade. They're missing" Blake told them sadly.

Ruby, Jaune, Nora, and Ren become shocked to hear they went missing as Ruby and Jaune look at each other with concerned looks on their faces.

* * *

Slade walked down the street of Argus clearing his head _Probably went a bit far with Jaune back there but he couldn't really think it was okay to treat Oscar like that_ he sighed deeply. Slade was so deep in thought he never even noticed he had entered a park until he nearly walked right into a statue, he stopped backing away instinctively as he looked up at the statue "That's new" he tilted his head slightly wondering who the statue was for. Slade read the inscription aloud "In honor of Pyrrha Nikos, one of the many students who fought valiantly at the Fall of Beacon... Nikos..." he snapped his fingers in realization "This is her! the P in JNPR... Pyrrha Nikos" he sighed.

Standing silently as he stared up at the statue he frowned "I wish I could've known you" he turned away from the statue making his way back out of the park. Walking for a few minutes more he heard what sounded to be someone sobbing, he listened closely, following the sound into an alleyway. Looking down at the crying figure he sighed lightly before sitting down next to them "Oscar" he greeted.

Oscar's head shot up out of his lap in surprise at not noticing Slade approach him "S-Slade" he wiped his tears away "I didn't hear-"

"I know" Slade smiled lightly at him "Is what Jaune said bothering you?"

"No... well.. I don't know" he answered looking back at the ground.

"You can talk to me, Oscar. I understand what it's like"

"You do?" Oscar asked confused.

"You heard what I said to Jaune back at the house didn't you?" Slade chuckled "You may have Ozpin stuck in your head, and yeah he wasn't entirely honest with us when he could've been. But knowing everything that we do now, could you blame him for keeping it from us?" Slade asked.

"I..."

"At least the guy stuck in your head wants to help people. Salem wants the world to end" Slade sighed.

"End? I thought she wanted to rule it"

"When her and Ozpin were together, she most certainly would've only wanted to rule instead of destroy. Unfortunately after losing Ozpin, at least as far as she's concerned. Salem wants the same thing she wanted when she didn't have him and was immortal, she wanted to die"

"That's right, Jinn said she jumped into the Pools of Darkness to see if it would destroy her but only ended up corrupting her in the end"

"Yeah... now she wants to get the four relics in one place so she can summon the Brother Gods"

"How does that destroy the world exactly?"

"You heard Cordovin earlier today, the whole world blames Atlas for what happened to Vale, they blame Ironwood for the Fall of Beacon instead of the ones actually responsible. Atlas is preparing for war and Salem is still gathering the relics. If they return to our world and humanity is still divided amongst themselves, they'll destroy Remnant. That's what Salem wants"

"But why would she want that? What does she get out of it?" Oscar asked not understanding.

"Death" Slade answered "Salem cannot die, but the Gods can take away her immortality just as easily as they forced it upon her"

"You really think they would do that?" Oscar asked.

"The God of Light doesn't want to, that's why he sent Ozpin back into the world so he could ensure it doesn't happen and stop Salem. But the God of Darkness, I can only imagine he enjoys destruction just as much as Salem does right now" Slade sighed "Unfortunately I don't think they would remove her immortality. If they discovered she was doing all these horrible things just because she wanted to die, willingly sacrificing the rest of the world for her selfishness. They might just let her stay immortal instead"

"So they wouldn't destroy us right?" Oscar asked.

"It's possible they would just laugh in Salem's face and do nothing or it's possible they would destroy humanity permanently and force Salem to be the sole living creature on Remnant for the rest of time as punishment. Either way, I really don't plan on finding out the hard way"

Oscar sat silently taking in the information Slade had just provided him with, Oscar looked over to Slade with a small amount of hope in his eyes "Can I ask you something?"

"Always"

"Was Qrow right? When he said I was just another one of Ozpin's lives and not my own person like Ruby said?"

"No" Slade answered with a genuine smile "You are Oscar Pine. I don't care what happens from here on in, we've all got your back just as much as you've got ours"

"Not all of us" Oscar sighed looking away.

"Jaune and Qrow were just upset, they feel as though what they've believed has been torn away from them, as if the sacrifices they've made and the people they've lost were for nothing" Slade explained "I felt the same way when I found out the truth from Salem" he sighed "I know now, that I was just wasting my time hunting down criminals for the past year when I could've been helping... If I had been at Beacon maybe Pyrrha would still be alive and none of this ever would've happened... but then again, we never would've met you if Ozpin didn't die during his battle with Cinder" he smiled over at Oscar gaining a small smile in return.

"Do you really think we have a chance at this? Do you think we'll ever defeat Salem for good?"

"If there's one thing I have learned in this world, it's that anything, no matter how strong can be stopped. Salem may not be able to die, but maybe she doesn't have to die. There are alternatives, and I know we'll figure something out. Jinn still can answer one question after all, and I know given the proper time and thought we can ask the one question we need the answer to right now"

"Maybe you're right" Oscar smiled standing up "No matter what happens from here on in, I'm ready for it. I'll fight to protect my friends with everything I have"

"I like the enthusiasm, but you're not going to get very far wearing that" Slade laughed gesturing at his farm clothes "Here" he tossed Oscar a small bag of Lien "There's a store not too far from here that'll have the type of gear you're looking for. Should be enough there to cover your expenses" Slade turned to leave the alleyway with Oscar quickly following behind him.

"T-thank you, Slade. I-I don't know what to say-"

"You've already said enough" Slade smirked back at him "C'mon, why don't we pick out something for you together"

"Slade?"

"Yeah?" he asked as they walked out of the alley.

"Thanks" he smiled.

Slade smiled back "Anytime, Oscar"

* * *

Ruby is looking down with a look of disapproval on her face. She lets out a disappointed sigh.

"I've never seen him this bad" Yang pointed out.

Ruby, along with the rest of Team RWBY and Maria, found Qrow passed out on the stairs leading up to Saphron's house "Come on, let's get him up" The two sisters grab their uncle's arms and sit him up. Qrow groans and rubs his eyes.

"Why am I on the stairs?"

"Probably because no one's home, Uncle Qrow. We've been out looking for Oscar and Slade" Ruby answered annoyed.

"Oscar? Slade?" he asked confused.

The group hears footsteps. They turn to see Jaune, Ren, Nora, as well as Saphron and Terra, who is holding Adrian in her arm, walking towards them. The two mothers look at Qrow.

"I'm sure this looks great to the neighbors" Terra pointed out sarcastically. Saphron lightly elbows her wife while Jaune and his teammates walk up to the group.

"No luck?" Ren asked.

"No, you?" Blake shook her head.

"Don't worry, we aren't going to Atlas without them" Jaune assured.

"We?" Ruby asked surprised. The three Team JNPR members share a smile.

Jaune turned to Saphron "Sorry we won't be staying"

Saphron smirked at her brother "No you're not"

"How about we get out of the cold?" Terra suggested.

The door to the house is heard opening "Oh, I was wondering when you'd get back" everyone gasped at the sight of Oscar. Oscar stood at the doorway, now wearing a fancy green coat.

"OSCAR!" everyone yelled excitedly.

Nora screams in joy as Oscar initially has a confused look on his face, and then one of comical terror as the seven students all leap forward and tackle hug him. Now inside the house, Ruby helps Oscar up as everyone shares a laugh.

"You had us worried sick!" Weiss chastised.

"Are you okay?" Ruby asked concerned.

Nora grinned "What are you wearing?" she asked curiously.

Oscar smiles and rubs the back of his head "Uh..."

The rest of the group steps into the house "Is something cooking?" Terra asked.

"Oh, uh, yeah. We thought you guys would appreciate a hot meal after... spending all day looking for us, apparently" Oscar chuckled nervously.

"It's my fault we were all out there in the first place. Oscar, I am so sorry for earlier. I was way, way out of line, and what I said-" Jaune tried to apologize.

"No, it's okay. These past few days, I've been scared of the same things you were. I don't know how much longer I'm going to be... me. But I did some thinking, and I do know that I want to do everything I can to help with whatever time I have left" Oscar told them with determination.

Jaune smiled at him "Good. This team isn't the same without you, Oscar" Everyone shares a smile.

"Wait, you said we" Yang said her eyes opening in surprise "Who's we?"

"Oh, well it's-" Suddenly, a smoke alarm goes off.

Oscar gasps "The casserole!"

"OSCAR! YOU BETTER NOT BE BURNING ANYTHING DOWN THERE!" a voice boomed from upstairs as footsteps could be heard thumping their way down "I swear I leave for one minute and suddenly-!" Slade stopped short at the group in front of him "Oh, you're all back. Glad to see you all decided to-"

"Slade!" The group yelled tackling him to the ground similarly to Oscar just moments before.

"Woah!" Slade fell onto his back in surprise "What's going on? Why're you all hugging me?" he asked confused.

"The casserole" Oscar said once more concerned about the food burning.

Saphron giggles "We're on it, chef" Saphron and Terra step into the kitchen to take care of Oscar and Slade's cooking.

"We've been looking for you for hours!" Yang yelled punching him in the shoulder "You had us worried sick!"

"Oh, I just left for some fresh air" he laughed "You all thought I just disappeared?"

"Well Oscar vanished too" Blake offered.

"We were just off getting him some better equipment" Slade stood up helping the group to their feet as well "Can't expect the kid to fight bad guys dressed like a farm boy now can we?"

"Speaking of" Nora grinned looking over to Oscar.

"Uh, combat gear looks good" Ruby said looking to Oscar with a smile

Oscar returns the smile, then the group notice Qrow walking up the stairs.

Ruby clears her throat sternly "Where are you going now?"

"I don't want to get in the way of your celebration"

"You've been gone all day! Just sit with us"

Qrow sighs "Look, Ruby, I'm glad you kids worked out, uh, whatever all that was. But the fact is, we're not a single step closer to Atlas"

"Actually, I think I have an idea. But... it's sort of a "no-going-back" kind of idea" Jaune chuckled nervously.

"Well, let's hear it" Ruby smiled.

"With Cordo on watch, only Atlas airships have the clearance to leave for Solitas. So... we... steal an Atlas airship" he nervously shrugs at his last statement. Everyone gets shocked looks on their faces. Adrian giggles in Maria's arm.

"That's not just breaking the law. That's... that's definitely worse" Weiss pointed out.

"It's actually just breaking the law, Weiss" Slade chuckled.

"How would we even get onto the airfield?" Yang asked exasperated.

"That part I haven't quite figured out yet. But I-"

"You don't have to figure it out, I've got the perfect idea-" Slade began.

"Okay, stop. Just... stop! Look, if this thing goes south, it's not something we can just fight our way out of. This is the Atlas Military we're talking about" he sighs heavily "For your sake, just drop this" Everyone looks down with discouraged looks on their faces, with the exclusion of Slade's glare up at Qrow. Ruby notices this and turns back to Qrow with a determined look on her face.

"I want to hear him out" Ruby said sternly.

"Ruby-" Qrow tried.

"I want to hear him out! I know you're trying to protect us, that you're afraid we can't do it, but right now, I don't really care what you think!" Qrow gains a shocked expression upon hearing this. "Just because you don't have an idea, doesn't mean we're out of options! Oz hasn't been here to tell us what to do, but we still managed to get this far anyway. We've been in bad situations before, and we didn't need an adult to come save us or tell us what to do. We just did it our way! And I say we do it our way" everyone smiles at her determination "And if you think you can keep up with us "kids"... we'd be happy to have you" Qrow looks down sadly.

Maria laughs "Looks like you didn't give her enough credit either" Qrow doesn't say anything, he looks back to Ruby while she looks back at him determined.

"Well... why don't we talk about the plan over dinner, Oscar and I slaved over it for hours" Slade chuckled "Thank you by the way, Saphron and Terra for the timely rescue"

"Anytime!" Saphron called with a laugh.

"Hopefully not too often" Terra called after her.

"That sounds like a lovely idea" Nora sighed as she sat down on the couch "I'm starving!"

"Alright then everyone grab a plate and chow down" Slade chuckled as the group scurried to the food quickly, Slade turned to look up at Qrow "There's plenty down here, bird boy. If you're up to helping us that is" he smirked.

Qrow smirked back at him with a shake of his head "You guys are one hell of a headache" he chuckled reluctantly joining the group.

* * *

Slade sat on the outside edge of the second story of Saphron and Terra's residence, he looked out at the moon above him with a deep sigh. Saphron made her way up onto the roof "It's much warmer inside you know" she sat down next to him "I brewed some tea to warm us up, there's a steaming cup waiting for your downstairs" she tried enticing him.

Slade chuckled lightly "Thanks, but I prefer it out here. I've never been much of a homebody"

"You're more of an adventurous type?" she asked curiously.

"You could say that, I try not to stay in one place for too long. Makes it harder for undesirables to find you"

"You're not a student like the rest of Jaune's friends are, and your not in training like Oscar... How long have you been a Huntsmen for?"

"I'm officially not a Huntsmen" Slade answered.

"Huh?" Saphron was confused.

"I attended Beacon Academy like Jaune and Ruby's teams, but unlike them I made it through the entire schooling system. Only had the final exam and the licensing test before I would've been an official Huntsmen"

"The Fall of Beacon get in the way of that?" she asked.

Slade shook his head "I was supposed to graduate a year before the others even started attending Beacon... but not everything works out the way it's supposed to" he sighed "I became a Bounty Hunter about the same time they started attending and only recently decided to take this job with them"

"You're getting paid for this mission with them?"

"No, though I would very much like to be" Slade laughed "No, I joined up with them because like everyone else here... I wanted to believe in something again... and let's just say I was given some pretty good incentive"

"Wouldn't happen to have anything to do with the beautiful blonde downstairs now would it?" Saphron asked with a knowing look. Slade's face blushed in embarrassment causing her to laugh "Don't worry, I wont say anything" she assured.

"How did you-"

"Please!" she laughed "You've been eyeing her the whole time you've been here, not too unlike how I was with Terra not all that long ago" she smiled fondly at the memories.

"I assure you, it's nothing like that"

"Really now?" she asked cocking her eyebrow knowingly.

"It's not like with you and Terra, we don't really compliment each other that well... she's fiery and enthusiastic and I'm... well... I'm the cold, boring one"

"You know you don't have to be perfectly alike right? Terra and I disagree on things all the time, we even argue from time to time. But I know in the end that she has my back and I have hers, and when it comes to our child, we're always on the same page. Isn't there something you and Yang have done together where you were just perfectly in sync?" she asked cocking her head to the side questioningly.

"Well..." Slade thought back to their barfight in Anima and how they worked together to stop Mercury "We seem to always know what the other is going to do when we fight together. Didn't matter who it was against or how many there were. Yang and I always knew exactly how to move around each other"

"See?" she elbowed him "You just need some common ground! Maybe next time you really want to talk with her, have a sparring match beforehand or talk during the sparring even. Just find something to talk about that isn't your mission and go from there"

Slade pondered her words, he smiled lightly as he looked up a Saphron "Thank you, Mrs. Arc-"

"Please, you make me sound like my Mother. Just Saphron or Saph is fine"

"Thank you, Saphron" he chuckled "Mind if I ask you why you came up here to speak to me? I'm sure there was plenty of other things you could be doing or people you could be talking with"

"Well, I've already talked with all of Jaune's friends and caught up with Jaune plenty over the last two days. You and I however haven't had a whole lot of chances to talk yet"

"You want to get to know me better?" Slade asked surprised.

"I like to know all of Jaune's friends" she smiled "Besides, you looked like you could use someone to open up to right now, and everyone else seemed not to notice"

"That's very kind of you, Mrs.- Saphron" he corrected.

"Of course, it's what I'm here for" she smiled brightly at him "There was something else I wanted to ask you" she through her hands up defensively "You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to though!" she added cautiously.

"What is it?" Slade asked with a light laugh.

"Earlier, Mr. Branwen said you had lost a lot of people close to you and that's why you were so angry when you got here. What happened exactly?"

Slade's expression darkened as he looked down at the city below "That's... painful to talk about"

"I know... but you have to talk about it sometime, or you'll never move past it"

"I've moved past it" he replied "But there are some things that stick with you no matter how deep you bury it, no matter how far you distance yourself from it... some things stick with you forever"

"It doesn't have to be me you talk about it with, Slade. But you should talk to someone about it, anyone. Keeping something like that bottled up will only do more harm than good" she stood from her place next to him "Well, I better get back inside. Jaune's probably wondering where I'm at by now" she turned back toward him as she slipped back in through the window "My offer still stands on that tea, it won't stay hot forever"

Slade smirked back at her "You know what? On second thought, I think I will take you up on that"

"You won't regret it, Terra and I make the best tea in all of Argus" she laughed as he followed her inside, closing the window behind him.

"Well I figure I might as well enjoy tonight before we go steal an airship from Atlas Military" he chuckled "I imagine they're not going to take too kindly to that"

"People usually like holding onto their airships" she laughed.

"There is one thing I'd like to talk about, but I don't think I can face them quite yet" Slade sighed.

Saphron turned back to look at him with a comforting smile "Well I'm more than willing to listen if you'd like to get it off your chest, and I promise I won't judge or anything. I know what it's like to keep something buried for too long"

"Thank you, Saphron... I really appreciate that"

"Of course, why don't we talk out back. Everyone else is in the living room so there's no better time" she offered.

"That sounds... delightful" he smiled accepting the tea she handed him as they made it down the stairs to the rest of the group.

* * *

 **That's all for this time! Keep your eyes out for Chapter Fifteen, coming soon! Thank you guys for reading. I have some exciting chapters coming up soon.**


	15. Clandestine

**Disclaimer: I own nothing!**

"Speech"

 _Thoughts_

 **Hey guys, sorry it took me a bit longer to get this out than I originally wanted (What else is new right?) unfortunately just a few days after I posted the last chapter, a close friend of mine passed away in a car accident. He wasn't particularly close with any of his family members so I and a couple other friends ended up handling the funeral arrangements and such. Because of this I have decided to take a week or two off from writing to keep my head clear and focused once I have had proper time to grieve. Don't you worry though, I will be getting more chapters done as soon as August comes around! Thank you guys so much for your patience and understanding, and thank you for reading this far. I hope you have a wonderful week!**

 **That's enough out of me! Read on!**

* * *

 **Chapter Fifteen: Clandestine**

At the Atlesian Military Base, various soldiers and guards work on their jobs. Weiss walking with Cordovin and Saphron, who is holding her son Adrian in her arm. They are also escorted by the two Nubuck Guards. Weiss drags a large luggage case behind her.

"Ah, I was relieved to hear that you came to your senses, Miss Schnee. Many of us were devastated when we heard you would be attending... Beacon Academy" she says the name with disdain "Knowing that you'll be returning to Atlas just warms my old heart"

"It was... time to get my act together and go back to my roots" Weiss pretended to agree with her.

"Oh, I can't wait to see you follow in your sister's footsteps" Cordovin said enthusiastically.

Weiss had an unenthusiastic smile on her face "Absolutely"

"I'm sending two of my best guards to personally escort you. Make sure General Ironwood hears that part" she winks and walks away.

"Allow me to assist you with your bag" the first guard hups over to pick up Weiss' luggage "My, what a heavy bag!"

Weiss keeping her grip on her luggage "That's alright!"

"Nonsense!" the guard insisted.

"Allow me to assist as well!" the second suggested.

"I can take care of it by myself!"

As Cordovin walks away, she overhears Weiss and the Nubuck Guards conversation. She stops in her tracks and gains a suspicious look on her face. Saphron notices this.

Saphron whispers to Adrian "Just like we practiced"

Adrian nods at his mother. The baby then lets out a loud wail that can be heard throughout the base. Adrian "cries" as he fusses in his mother's arms.

"Oh no! Look at that, he's just going to miss you so much! You should hurry on out of here!" Saphron says gaining the attention of the guards.

"A crying child?"

"We must console it!"

The two guards hup over to Adrian as they perform weird poses to amuse him. Cordovin continues walking with an unamused look on her face. While they are distracted, Weiss quickly gets onto the airship with the luggage behind her.

"That was close"

Ruby came through over her earpiece "Is everything okay?"

Maria spoke from inside Weiss' luggage "Call me heavy... It's all muscle! I'll show them a thing or two about heavy!"

"We're on board" she answered.

"Alright, we'll all watch our scrolls. The second Weiss is out of range of the comm tower, that'll mean she's out of range of the radar too" Ruby instructed.

"And that's when Blake steps in. We're almost at the drop off" Yang finished for her sister.

Elsewhere, just outside of Argus Yang is driving Bumblebee with Blake sitting behind her. Blake has her Scroll out receiving instructions from Terra.

"Okay, remember: one, the radar box is seperate from the rest of the communications equipment. So if you disconnect it properly, it won't take out comms for the rest of the city. Two, this conversation never happened" she instructed.

"Don't worry, this isn't the first time I've disabled Atlas security" Blake assured her.

Terra stares back with an unamused look "Never. Happened"

Yang arrives at the drop off point, Blake steps off the bike and proceeds forward. "You sure I shouldn't come with?"

"More intruders means we're more likely to be seen. Besides, stealth isn't exactly your, um..."

Yang stares back at Blake with her arms crossed. "I mean, you're great! And I'll hurry back"

Yang softened her expression "Go" Blake smiles back at her before heading off.

"Heading in on foot. Won't be long" Blake reported over her earpiece.

"Yes! It's all going to plan!" Jaune shouts excitedly. Jaune then looks to Ren and Nora, who just stare at him with neutral looks. Jaune clears his throat "I mean, uh... roger"

Ren and Nora exchange a brief glance while rolling their eyes at their leader. Oscar notices Ruby looking over with concern to Qrow, who is leaning against a tree with an uneasy look on his face.

"Hey, this is gonna work" he assured her.

"Yeah" Ruby smiled nervously back at him.

On the airship, Weiss sits in a passenger seat. She looks down at her scroll and notices her friends' signals slowly going out of range. Upon seeing this, Weiss makes her move. She gets up and heads toward the cockpit.

"Miss Schnee! For your own safety, we must request-"

"What?!" Weiss can be heard activating a glyph.

"Traitor!" Grunts from the guards are heard. The airship is flying by as the two guards are tied together by a black Schnee glyph as a parachute slows their descent.

"This parachute won't excuse you of your treachery!" The glyph deactivates, causing one of the guards to hang onto the other guard for dear life.

Back on the airship, Weiss walks over to the controls with Maria taking the pilot's seat.

"And you're sure you can fly this?"

"Missy, I was the Grimm Reaper! What part of "best Huntress of her generation" don't you understand?"

"Right, but your eyes"

Maria chuckles as she notices a small device plugged in the controls. She takes out the device and plugs it into her goggles. Text on one of the screens read "Transmitting sensory array data" as Maria's prosthetic eyes grow more wide.

"You were saying?"

"That you said your eyes were in desperate need of repair!"

Maria holding a finger out at Weiss "Bup bup bup"

"But-"

"Bup!" Weiss ultimately relents. She puts on her seatbelt as Maria starts to fly around.

Ruby watches her scroll as Weiss' signal disappears "Alright guys, this is it" placing her fingers on her ear "Blake, you're up" No response "Blake?" Ruby looks back to her friends in worry.

Yang sits on the ground next to Bumblebee Ruby spoke over comm "Yang, what's going on?"

Yang gets up and looks over to the relay tower "I don't know" Yang looks to her scroll and sees Weiss' signal coming back on.

"Manta 5-1, this is Argus Base. We see you circled back. What's your status, over" asked one of the terminal soldiers at the base.

"Why can they see us?" Weiss asked confused.

"Somebody dropped the ball. Don't worry, I've worked with Atlas forces before. I know their jargon" Maria picks up the radio.

Maria clears her throat "Argus Base, this is Manta 5-1. Feel free to gaff off. Thought we were going to scrub due to FOD, but we're back up and green across the board, over"

"Manta 5-1, return to base immediately, or you will be treated as hostile, over"

"I thought you said you knew their jargon!"

"Jargon was fine, but our pilots aren't elderly women"

"Huh, well they got me there! Ooh, my mind really is going! Why would you kids let me fly this thing?"

Cordovin's voice came through the radio "Calavera! You and those insolent children are up to something, aren't you?! You thought you could undermine my authority? If you don't return my ship this INSTANT, I will make an example out of you. I will show you the true might of Atlas!" Cordovin heard a crunching sound through her end of the radio.

"You hear that, Cordo?" Cordovin's expression slowly turns enraged.

Maria munches on cashews with her mouth open "That's the sound of me not caring!" she laughs maniacally.

Weiss putting her fingers to her ear "Ruby, we're in trouble. Cordo's onto us, and Maria isn't helping!"

"Maybe we should fly over to help Yang and Blake first?" Nora suggested.

"No, stick to the plan" Slade ordered "If we deviate too much, we'll never get to Atlas. Besides, Blake and Yang can handle themselves. Weiss and Maria need us here"

"Damn it! Cordo's gonna scramble her fighters. We've got maybe ninety seconds before they're in the air, and all over Weiss and Maria. This is all my fault..."

"What are you talking about? Your Semblance?" Jaune asked confused.

"Every choice I've ever made has led me here, and I've dragged you along with me. Oz, myself, the others... We're responsible for the mess the world's in now. I shouldn't have come, shouldn't have let any of you come... What was I thinking?!"

Slade groaned "Qrow, you're not the cause for everyone's problems. Just because you cause bad luck doesn't mean you're the cause of all bad luck" Slade explained.

"But-"

"We're all in this together, and we're all going to do the best we can. That's all anyone can do. And I know it's what you've always aimed for. We would've come whether or not you'd let us, so stop talking like we're your responsibility! We're not! But we could still use Qrow Branwen on our side" Ruby explained passionately.

Qrow pondered his niece's words "Hm... How did you grow up so fast?" he smiled at her.

"I had good role models" she answered smiling back at him.

"How sweet" Slade rolled his eyes "We do still have issues right now, if you two don't mind, we now have to come up with a plan for all the fighter pilots that'll be coming at us in a few minutes-"

"Guys? She's not sending fighters" Weiss reported. The group looks over to the Argus base. Suddenly, the mountain at the base retracts, revealing a colossal mech that overlooks the city of Argus.

"Clearly the people have forgotten that they live in peace thanks to the awesome might of Atlas!" Cordovin spoke through the colossal mech.

"Is Cordovin... piloting that?" Weiss asked surprised.

"Consider this a reminder!" Cordovin charges up the mech's arm cannon, which lets out an electric burst that fires at the ship Weiss and Maria are piloting. The controls go critical as Maria's eyes spin.

"Are you okay?"

"I am, but she's clearly lost her mind!" Maria shouted.

"And that was merely a warning shot! All Atlas personnel standby, and watch how your leader maintains order!" Ruby and her group look over to see Weiss and Maria fly in, with Cordovin in her mech following close behind. "It's time you asked yourselves, children... Do you truly wish to defy me?"

"Hurry back, Weiss. I need you on the ground if we're gonna take this thing down"

"You're joking, right? You want to fight this thing?!" Weiss asked in shock.

"We've fought giant monsters before. This is just a tiny old lady... with one very big robot.

"That thing is big" Slade agreed crossing his arms over his chest.

"Slade!" Nora shouted excitedly "You can stop that thing with your Semblance!"

"What!? No! I've never... I can't... I've never even tried on something that big before! I might be able to stop one of it's arms or something if I give it my all, but there's no way I'm gonna be able to immobilize that thing on my own!"

"What if I used my Semblance in conjunction with yours?" Jaune asked hopefully.

"It doesn't work like that! My Semblance doesn't work the same as Ren's, you can't just amplify it and hope it works better. I could tear myself apart trying to do that"

"Well then, let's not do that" Ruby chuckled nervously.

"Yes, let's please not kill me" Slade sweatdropped "We're gonna have to stop this thing somehow though"

"You little spider-roaches thought you could creep your way to Atlas?! Well, let's see how your resolve holds out against the might of the Atlesian Military!" Cordovin prepares to take down the airship with a missile that pops out from a slot on the arm cannon. The missile fires and tracks the airship, but suddenly, it explodes harmlessly just right behind it. Cordovin turns to see Ruby with her Crescent Rose. Ruby lowers her weapon and glares at Cordovin while the others get ready to fight. Cordovin growls "SO BE IT!" Cordovin prepares to shoot the missile at Ruby and the others. Weiss and Maria sees Cordovin doing so in shock.

"Dive!" Weiss unbuckles her seatbelt and gets off from her seat while Maria dives for the landing. As Maria heads to the others, Weiss approaches the airship door with Myrtenaster in her hand. She jumps off and raises her weapon creating a rock wall and protecting the group from Cordovin's ice Dust attack.

"That was close" Oscar sighed in relief.

"We need to figure out how to stop Cordovin and protect the airhsip until we do" Ruby pointed out.

"Let's give her more targets to focus on" Jaune suggested.

"You mean us, don't you?" Nora asked.

"Look at that thing. It's not designed for small enemies. It's probably meant for giant Grimm that come in from deeper waters. We can turn our size into an advantage. We just have to be smart"

"I like this plan already" Slade smirked.

"Maria, can you keep the ship out of harm's way?"

"They can take my driver's license, but I won't let them take this ship!"

Ren deadpanned "Very reassuring"

"I'll be more useful if I go with her. From up high, I can try to spot a weakness" Oscar offered.

"Well, he's not the only one who can grab a bird's eye view" Qrow smiles at the group.

Slade chuckled "Glad to have you working with us, Bird boy"

"I will hit you" Qrow warned.

"You said you needed me on the ground?" Weiss asked.

"Not exactly" Ruby nervously smiles.

As the team strategizes, Cordovin keeps an eye on their location keenly. Suddenly, her eyes widen as the group splits into three: Jaune, Nora and Ren run down the left path along the cliff, Maria flies the airship to the right, and Ruby and Qrow fly straight up into the air using her Semblance and his corvid form, respectively. Ruby reforms from her Semblance and fires Crescent Rose, cracking the mech's windshield and causing Cordovin to growl. She fires a volley of missiles to Ruby's location. Ruby lands on a tree branch and uses her Semblance to dodge the missiles. She eventually reforms and runs and jump along the missiles before freefalling down to the ocean. An incoming wave is frozen by Weiss as Ruby slides along it.

"Let's go!"

Weiss also slides off the frozen wave before using Myrtenaster to freeze small patches of ice for her and Ruby to leap on toward the mech. Slade uses his Semblance to force the water into almost solid form as he runs along it, returning each patch of water to return to it's original form once his boot stopped making contact before doing the same for his next step. As Cordovin keeps her attention on them, her mech is suddenly struck by a volley of pink grenades.

"Hey! Over here!" Jaune called.

"What?!" Cordovin looks over to Jaune's group as they keep running.

"And you said it wasn't beach season!" Nora shouted to Ren excitedly. The three then take cover behind a boulder for each of them. Nora fires off more grenades from Magnhild, but suddenly, a hexagonal shield pattern appears protecting Cordovin's mech, doing no damage to her.

Cordovin laughs "Surely you knew Atlas was the father of hard-light Dust, or do lesser kingdoms simply lack proper education?" Cordovin charges up her mech's arm cannon again, this time firing rock Dust, forcing Jaune's team to abandon their cover.

"Cordo just activated shields!" Jaune shouted.

"I saw that. We need to find whatever's generating it" Oscar noted.

"You know, in video games, the weak spot's usually on the back of the giant boss!" Ruby pointed out.

"Ruby, this isn't a game!" Weiss chastised.

"I'm just trying to- LOOK OUT!"

Cordovin's mech is seen stomping at a part of the ocean. Unbeknownst to her, Qrow flies around in his avian form. "You are ants! You are lower than ants!

As Qrow flies through the clouds, he transforms back into his human form and takes out Harbinger's scythe form. He propels himself forward and grapples onto the giant mech "Ah! What was that?!"

"Until the shield's down, we're gonna have to get up close and personal with this thing" Qrow starts to fire at the scratch he just made. Suddenly, he notices the mech's giant hand start to reach for him. Qrow dodges out of the way, transforming back into his avian form.

"That's easier said than done!" Ren shouted.

"Not for all of us!" Slade grinned leaping up onto the mech's leg using his wrist blades to hang onto it. Slade launched himself upward, using his momentum to climb the mech easily.

"Well he doesn't seem to be having a problem!" Nora laughed.

"Weiss and I are on it!" Ruby shouted back to Ren. Ruby and Weiss land on a patch of ice on the ocean together.

"Hold on!" Weiss stabs Myrtenaster into the ground, creating an ice attack that knocks Cordovin's mech off balance for a bit. Cordovin let's out a frustrated yell. As the airship flies by, Oscar realizes something.

"Wait, that's it. When she-" Suddenly, Cordovin aims her cannon at Ruby and Weiss. Oscar gasps "RUBY, MOVE!"

Cordovin fires a volley of missiles at Ruby and Weiss, creating a large plume of water. From it, Weiss and Ruby emerge unharmed as they ride Weiss's Queen Lancer summon. Ruby leaps off and uses Cresecent Rose to propel herself onto Cordovin's mech, embedding the scythe's blade into it. Maria cheers Ruby on. The force of Ruby's strike knocks the mech back into the cliffside, the tremors being felt by the citizens in Argus. Cordovin let's out an enraged scream.

"Go!" Jaune shouts.

Jaune, Ren and Nora proceed forward. Ren leaps onto the mech's arm and runs along it, while also using the blades of StormFlower to hang on. Jaune uses the twohandler form of Crocea Mors to slash at the mech's hip joint, while Nora uses the hammer form of Magnhild to smash at the arm cannon. Slade stood himself up on Cordovin's arm, leaping onto the windshield, he began firing Defiance into it.

"Oh, Cordovin!" he called as he started to pass through it with his Semblance.

Cordovin manages to stand the mech back up, causing Ruby to be lowered down into her view on the windshield and Slade to lose his concentration, causing him to fall back through the mech's windshield toward the water below. Ruby hangs on to Crescent Rose as she nervously smiles and waves at Cordovin.

"Get off of me!" Cordovin tries to grab Ruby with the mech's left hand, forcing Ruby to let go as she uses her Semblance to fly downward. Luckily, Weiss flies by on her Queen Lancer summon and catches Ruby and Slade.

"Heh" she looked to her teammate gratefully.

"What if I hadn't caught you?"

"I knew you would" she grins widely.

"Ow" Slade groaned from beneath Ruby.

Weiss just groans. As they fly around the mech, Ren lowers himself down along the mech's back. He notices a panel with a humming machine sound coming from it. Ren uses one of his blades to pry the panel off, but almost falls as the mech keeps moving around. Fortunately, Qrow appears and catches his wrist.

"Gotcha. What'd ya find?" Qrow tosses Ren back up as the both of them look at the panel he just opened. They see a whirring machine with the label "Authorized personnel only, Shield generator" written on top of it "Well, alright then"

Qrow and Ren draw their weapons and shoot at the machinery, disabling the mech's shields. Cordovin watches her screen as the shields are reduced to zero "No, no, no, no!" Cordovin then feels a tremor as Nora fires a volley of grenades at her.

"You get back here with my man!"

"Her what?" Slade asked surprised as he sat up.

As Nora continues firing at Cordovin, Weiss, Slade and Ruby fly by to Ren and Qrow "Jump on!" Weiss called. The two men do so. Nora continues to fire until she runs out of ammo. Suddenly, Jaune notices Cordovin lifting up the mech's arm. He runs over to Nora.

"I've had enough of you ingrates!" Cordovin slams the mech's arm into both Jaune and Nora, knocking them back and breaking their Auras. The two struggle to get back up.

"No!" Ren called concerned.

Suddenly, Weiss gasps as Cordovin fires the mech cannon at her group at point blank range, destroying the Queen Lancer summon and knocking herself, Ren, Qrow, Slade and Ruby back over to the cliff. Ruby uses her Semblance to fly back over to the cliff, but falls short. Ruby embeds the blade of Crescent Rose into the cliffside and holds on for dear life. Slade soared overhead, going right over the trees past where anyone could see him anymore.

"Slade!" Ruby yelled concerned.

"I can't see where he landed!" Oscar shouted worriedly.

Ruby notices Cordovin approaching her "This is what happens when you think you know better than those rightfully in charge!"

From the airship, Oscar notices Ruby in trouble and runs over to Maria "We gotta do something!"

Maria flicks some switches on the controls and flies back over to the mech. Just as Cordovin is about to fire her arm cannon at Ruby, Maria flies by and fires a missile. Suddenly, the mech grabs the missile with its hand, causing Cordovin to turn the mech around to Maria's direction.

"Calavera" she growls. Everyone watches helplessly as Cordovin fires the missile toward the airship's direction. The missile explodes in front of the airship, causing it to rattle "You just couldn't keep this rivalry between us, could you, Calavera?! You had to rope in children to fail with you!"

* * *

"Can you do anything besides run?!" Adam shouts chasing after Blake through the forest.

Adam then jumps onto a tree trunk and leaps off of it as he continues to pursue Blake, who continues leaping from branch to branch. Adam then fires Wilt and it crashes into Blake's kusarigama just as she was about to grapple onto another tree. Due to her loss of momentum, Adam manages to catch up and slash at her, but he merely just slashes Blake's trench coat off. Blake then kicks off Adam, knocking him back. As Blake lands back on the ground, she fires at Adam, who blocks some of her shots but some manage to still hit him. The two then leap out of the forest and find themselves on a natural stone bridge in front of a waterfall.

The two then clash again, with Blake evading Adam's attacks with her own Semblance. Blake manages to catch Adam's sword with her own cleaver/sheath, leaving Adam to defend himself with Blush. Eventually, Adam catches Blake's wrist and blocks her katana with Blush.

"I wouldn't have to be doing this if you just behaved!" he shouted enraged. Suddenly, Adam grabs his sword and flings away Blake's cleaver, before knocking her in the side of her head with the hilt of Wilt. Blake gets knocked back several feet "But you're selfish! Adam knocks Blake back again "You're a coward! Adam again knocks Blake back a few feet.

"You're delusional!" Blake shot back from her place on the ground.

Adam then points his sword at Blake's abdominal scar that he gave her before. Adam then uses his Semblance, which causes Blake's katana blade to break in half. The broken weapon clatters a few feet away from Blake.

Adam then stops to remove the blindfold from his eyes "People hurt me long before we met... All sorts of people in all sorts of ways" Blake looks away sadly upon hearing this "but no one hurt me quite like you"

Blake looks back up to Adam as she sees his own eyes. His right eye a healthy blue eye, his left eye scarred permanently with a brand labeled "SDC".

"You didn't leave scars, you just left me alone" As Adam continues talking, Blake hears a certain motorcycle drawing close. "So... tell me, Blake... how does it feel to be alone?"

Blake doesn't pay attention to what Adam says as she hears the noise get closer. Suddenly, Adam raises his sword and lets out a loud yell in fury as he stabs Blake in the abdomen. Suddenly, her form disappears, another Semblance clone. Adam then looks behind him as Blake picks up her cleaver.

"I'm not alone"

Suddenly, from above the waterfall, Yang drives off the cliff and hurls her motorcycle, which crashes into Adam, knocking him down, before falling off into the river below. Yang lands a few feet away from Blake as she stares down Adam.

"You" he growled. Yang fires a shot Adam, which he blocks. Yang then activates the shotgun in her prosthetic arm.

"Yang!" Suddenly, Blake falls to her knee as she holds her stomach in pain.

"It's okay. Catch your breath for a second. I can hold him off"

"She's right, Blake. It's okay, we have... unfinished business"

The two combatants stare each other down. Adam makes the first move, delivering a series of quick slashes and Semblance arcs that knock Yang back a short distance. Eventually, Yang starts to strike back, managing to land some hits on Adam that he wasn't able to block. Yang knocks Adam back a good distance before firing at him. He blocks and absorbs the shots with his sword. Adam then quickly runs in circles around Yang before letting out another Semblance attack that causes Yang to slide back a short distance.

"His Semblance is like yours! He absorbs energy through his sword, stores it up and then sends it back when he's ready"

"He gets to dish out damage without having to feel it?" she sighs "That's just cheap"

The two proceed to trade blows again. Yang lands a series of punches and kicks on Adam, but he manages to send her back when she punches his sword. Yang gets knocked back next to Blake and the two share a glance with each other. Adam notices this and lets out an angered growl. He readies his Semblance once again.

"YANG!"

With a loud yell, Adam lets out a devastating attack with his Semblance. When the smoke clears, Yang is still standing, though her prosthetic arm has some small scratches in it and her foot barely hangs off the edge of the bridge. She lowers her arm and glares at Adam.

"Leave. Us. Alone. This is your last chance"

Adam stares back at the two as he grips the hilt of his sword again. Yang's left arm trembles slightly "Heh, do you really believe that? Or are you just trying to scare me away so you won't have to die trying to protect her?"

Yang, angered, prepares to fight him again despite her hand still trembling. Suddenly, Blake takes Yang's hand with her own "She's not protecting me, Adam. And I'm not protecting her" Adam glares back at the two of them angrily "We're protecting each other" The two friends stand hand in hand in solidarity as they glare at Adam together.

"You knew you couldn't win two-on-one at Haven. What makes you so sure you can win now?" Adam asked confidently.

"I don't have a choice. I have people who actually care about me, and I promised I'd never leave them again. So I'm not dying now" Yang smiles at her friend's words before glaring back at Adam.

"You know, she made a promise to me once. That she'd always be at my side. Heh, and look how well she's kept it"

"Did she make that promise to you? Or to the person you were pretending to be?" Yang asked cocking her eyebrow. She was met with Silence.

"So I just wasn't good enough for you?"

"You know it's so much more than that" Blake replied.

"I know you've made your choice... and I've made mine" Adam growled in anger as he prepared to unleash all of his stored up energy with his Semblance, slashing downward with an enraged roar, Blake and Yang closed their eyes anticipating their demise. They waited for what seemed like forever but nothing ever came, opening their eyes the saw Adam still glowing with his Semblance appeared to be frozen in place, struggling to move. Adam's head turned slightly to his right to find Slade standing there with his hand outstretched toward him, on his knees in pain from his earlier fall.

"Hello there" he greeted with a cocky smirk.

"Slade!" Blake and Yang called in shock "What're you doing here? I thought you were supposed to be with Ruby?"

"I was, until Cordovin's stupid machine threw me all the way out here. I hadn't heard from you and was worried so I came as fast as I could. Besides, They can handle Cordovin just fine"

"You..." Adam growled "I should've killed you long ago"

Slade cocked his head to the side "Who're you again?" he asked pretending not to know him, angering Adam in response. Slade released Adam from his Semblance allowing him to use his own Semblance to attack Slade with all the energy he had stored. As the strike came soaring toward him, Slade outstretched his hand to clash with the arc of energy making it dissipate as it made contact "You're so predictable" he chuckled painfully.

"You filth" Adam growled as Slade slowly made his way over to Blake and Yang.

"You up for this, Slade?" Yang asked concerned.

"Always" he smirked "I've been itching for a chance to teach Taurus a lesson. Particularly, don't send goons to take down someone he's too scared to face himself"

"You think I'm afraid of you?" Adam asked with a laugh "Where'd you ever get an idea like that?"

"You could've killed me back when Cinder murdered her father but you didn't, I refused to be apart of something like that and you just stood there and watched me leave. Then you send your thugs to kill me for the next few months instead of doing it yourself. That's the mark of a coward"

"Yet I am prepared to face you and your friends here and now?"

"When I am injured sure, if I was fit as a fiddle you'd be running just like you did back at Haven. The difference here is you think you have the advantage, but you're sorely mistaken.

The four combatants then take defensive stances, albeit Slade a bit strained as they resume their battle. Blake, Yang and Slade rush forward together. The three of them work together to strike at Adam with a series of back and forth blows and slashes. Blake grabs the bottom portion of her broken Gambol Shroud katana and throws it at Adam, but he deflects it back at her. Yang notices this and grabs the pistol and uses the ribbon to swing Blake around. Blake uses her cleaver to clash with Adam's sword, but he sends her flying back. Blake's back hits the cliffside of the waterfall, depleting her Aura. She nearly falls off the ledge and hangs on for dear life.

"Blake!" Yang calls after her.

Slade clashed his wrist blade's with Adam's own sword but was pushed back, Adam kicked him in the chest causing Slade to stumble painfully "You're in no condition to fight, Slade" he smirked. Yang then turns around and angrily glares at Adam.

Adam takes notice of this "Moment of truth, Yang. Do you think you're faster than you were at Beacon?" This causes Yang to gasp and tremble slightly. Adam notices this and chuckles "Me neither" Adam rushes forward. Yang manages to dodge most of his attacks, but she is then knocked to the ground "Your Aura's bound to be running low.

Yang pants for breath as Adam angrily grunts at her. Meanwhile, Blake struggles to climb up "Hit me already!" Adam yells angrily slicing his blade toward Yang.

Yang dodges "What does she even see in you?!" Yang gets knocked back, Blake continues her climb as Slade struggles to his knees "You're just a coward like her!"

Adam unleashes an attack with his Semblance toward Yang. However, at the last second, Yang's eyes turn red. The attack hits Yang, creating a cloud of dust. Adam rushes forward and swings his sword down. When the dust clears, Adam looks in shock as Yang has caught his sword with her prosthetic hand. Her hair burns bright, activating her Semblance.

"Gotcha"

 _That's my girl_ Slade smirked.

Yang then cocks her left arm's Ember Celica. She pulls Adam toward her and punches him hard enough to disarm him and send him flying back. The force of the attack depletes Adam's Aura. Adam stands back up and tries to fight again, only to realize his sword is missing. Yang still has it in her hand.

"I may not be faster" she pants her own Aura depleted "But I'm smarter" Yang then throws Wilt over the bridge.

"No!" Adam fails to reach his sword in time as he watches it fall. Suddenly, Blake reappears and uppercuts Adam as she jumps back on to the bridge. Adam stumbles backwards. Suddenly, he notices one half of Gambol Shroud's katana on the ground. He and Blake rush forward to pick it up, but Blake grabs it before he can. Yang then runs forward and grabs the broken blade of Gambol Shroud. Slade pushes himself up to his knees with all his strength turning toward Adam with his wrist blade poised to strike a fatal blow. Both girls then impale Adam from the front and back, each with a piece of Blake's weapon simultaneously as Slade's wrist blade pierces his abdomen. Adam looks down at his bleeding chest as he twitches.

"Oh"

Blake, Slade and Yang all pull their blades out and watch Adam stumble towards the edge of the bridge. He falls to his knees and his eyes start to roll back. He slumps forward and falls off the bridge. On his fall down, his body hits the cliffside with a sickening crunch, before disappearing into the water below.

"Adam Taurus is finally dead" Slade sighed collapsing onto his hands once more.

Suddenly, Blake starts to sob and falls to her knees as she breaks down crying. Yang runs over to hug her. Blake hugs back "I... I am not going to break my promise, I swear"

"I know you won't" The two girls continue to embrace as Blake continues to sob.

Slade rolls onto his back in pain as he struggles to catch his breath "We showed him didn't we!" he laughed painfully before coughing up a bit of blood, his vest turning slightly darker as his blood dampened it.

"Slade!" Yang and Blake quickly snapped out of their trance, rushing over to see if their friend was alright.

"Don't worry about me" he coughed out "I'll be fine, it's just a scratch" he assured them.

"We'll let Jaune be the judge of that" Yang pulled him to his feet, slinging his arm over her shoulder as Blake did the same on his opposite side.

"Let's get you back to Ruby and find you some help" Blake added determined.

"Hey, I'm just glad you're both alright. You had me worried when you both dropped out of contact like that"

They both remained silent for a bit as they focused on getting him back to the group, the occasional groan from Slade being the only sound between them "Thank you" Blake finally broke the silence.

"For what?" he asked confused.

"You didn't have to come for us back there, you could've gone back to Ruby and helped with Cordovin. But you decided we needed you, and turns out we did"

"If you hadn't shown up back there, we might not both have come out of that in one piece" Yang agreed with a small smile.

"You both would've been fine" he waved off weakly "I just made your job a little easier is all. Hell, aside from freezing him I really didn't even do much"

"You made him exhaust his Semblance on you instead of us, which is probably why you're even in this condition to begin with" Blake chastised "But you also watched our backs amidst the fighting and even helped deliver the finishing blow. I'd say you helped plenty" Blake had a genuine smile on her face "I can't say I expected you to take to helping me so easily, you're a better person than you give yourself credit for"

"Eh" Slade relented "Maybe I helped you out a bit more than I originally thought, but let's not overdo it" he chuckled "Taurus caused us all a bit of trouble after all. If I had only stayed with Ozpin a year ago you might've never lost your arm" Slade looked up remorsefully at her "You might've never gotten injured" he added looking to Blake, referring to the scar on her abdomen "Pyrrha might never have died... there's a lot of things that could've been better had I stuck around"

"If you had, you might be dead instead" Yang pointed out "There's no point regretting the past, Slade. All we can do, is do better in the future" she smiled.

"Yeah... maybe you're right" he smiled lightly back at her.

* * *

Ruby Rose is still holding onto Crescent Rose for dear life. Oscar notices this from the airship "Ruby!" Ruby eventually makes her back up to the top of the cliff by using Crescent Rose's blade to climb back up. She regroups with Weiss, Ren, and Qrow "Ruby, can you hear me? Are you guys okay?" Oscar asked over his earpiece.

"Are we okay?!" Ruby asked indignantly.

"I know, we were supposed to lay low, but listen! I think I finally found a weakness!"

"Well, we're all ears" Nora groaned approaching Ruby, carrying Jaune on her shoulder

"Guys!" Ren called in relief as he rushed over to his teammates.

"The cylinder on Cordo's cannon rotates and locks in a giant Dust cartridge everytime she changes attack styles" Oscar explained.

"We noticed" Weiss sighed.

"Right, but her missile launcher doesn't lock in, it pops out! Without her shields, one well-placed shot could detonate the missiles while they're still in the launcher!" he continued.

"We could destroy the entire cannon... Oscar, that's brilliant!" Jaune shouts excitedly.

"Can you... make that kind of shot?" Nora asked concerned.

"We'll only get one chance before she catches on. I'd have to be practically staring down the barrel of her cannon" Ruby answered.

"Well, I've got a way to guarantee that" Maria told as she flies the airship back over to Ruby's group. She stops with the hatch doors open. Ruby runs forward.

"Ruby, what are you doing?!" Qrow shouted.

Ruby hops into the airship and heads off to do her part. The others watch the airship heading towards Cordo's mech. Ruby smiles at Maria and Oscar. In the mech, one of the screens has a popup message saying "ARGUS BASE INCOMING CALL". Cordovin notices this, but her attention is then drawn away.

"Hey, Cordo! I've got one missile left and I know exactly where I'm gonna stick it!" Maria taunted.

Cordovin chuckles "One missile you say? That's a shame, Maria, because I have plenty!" Cordovin has the missile launcher pop out from the mech's arm cannon while Maria continues flying toward her.

"ARE YOU TWO CRAZY?!" Oscar shouted in terror.

"Sometimes the best approach is simply the most direct!" Maria laughed. As the airship moves closer, Ruby gets into position and aims at Cordovin's mech cannon. Cordovin gasps as she pulls up a screen, noticing Ruby and catching on to her plan.

"You!" Ruby pulls the trigger, but suddenly, the missile launcher retracts back into the arm cannon and the bullet is deflected. Everyone gasps in shock "You thought you could fool me?!" She readies the arm cannon again, this time about to fire a lightning Dust attack.

"Pull up!" Oscar yelled.

Maria pulls up the airship, but it still gets partially caught in the blast. The rest of the group on the cliff move out of the way. The airship is affected by the electricity, and Maria screams in pain as her prosthetic eyes close shut "I can't see! My eyes!"

"No, no, no!"

"Take control!"

Oscar grabs the joystick as he barely gains control of the airship "We're gonna crash! We're gonna CRASH!"

The rest of the group emerge from the smoke on the cliffside, coughing "Look!" The group watches as the airship crash lands into the forest. As Weiss gasps, Qrow runs and transforms into his avian form and flies over to the crash site. At the crash site, the engines can be heard shutting down.

"We're... we're still in one piece!" Oscar shouted in relief.

Suddenly, Oscar hears the stomping of Cordovin's mech. Ruby stumbles out of the airship before collapsing to her knees Cordovin laughs "Very clever, but even the smartest apes can't compete with the intellect of man" Ruby uses Crescent Rose to stand herself backup. She looks over to the airship to see Maria repairing her prosthetic eyes as Oscar watches in concern.

"Come on, come on!"

Ruby then looks toward Cordovin with a determined expression and walks forward. Suddenly, Qrow appears and takes his niece's hand "Ruby, stop!"

Ruby looks back to her uncle, still bearing her determined expression. Qrow gasps.

"I need you to trust me" Qrow closes his eyes and ultimately relents as Ruby pulls her hand away. She walks to the edge of the cliff and stands face to face with Cordovin's mech.

"Surrender for your crimes, and accept your punishment"

"No!" Ruby yells defiantly. Cordovin gasps in shock as Ruby's friends look to her "We're going to Atlas. Bigger people than you have tried to stop us and failed, but we're supposed to be on the same side! We're supposed to use our power to protect people, but you just use yours to look down on everyone!" Cordovin ponders Ruby's words "We didn't want to steal from you. We did it because you gave us no other choice! Now I'm giving you one last chance to stand down and hear us out" the group remained in silence for a moment.

"I've heard enough" Cordovin then aims her arm cannon at Ruby. Ruby's friends run over to her in panic.

Oscar reaching out "Ruby!"

Qrow gains a look of horror on his face as Cordovin fires up the arm cannon. Suddenly Ruby uses her Semblance and flies into the arm cannon.

"WHAT?!" she screeched.

"She's NUTS!" Nora shouted in shock.

Ruby continues flying into the arm cannon "The missile launcher springs out... but the raw dust gets locked in!" Jaune noted understanding her plan. Inside the arm cannon, Ruby plants Crescent Rose into the ground and takes aim at the buildup of Dust. She fires and uses her Semblance to quickly get out of the arm cannon. Suddenly, the arm cannon explodes, covering it in ice and stone.

"What?! No! NO!"

As Ruby flies backwards, her Aura runs out and she falls unconscious. Her fall is slowed down by black Glyphs from Weiss, and Qrow catches his niece in his arms. Weiss collapses in exhaustion as Jaune, Ren and Nora run over to her.

"Ruby? Ruby!" Ruby opens her eyes and smiles at her uncle.

"Told ya"

The Atlesian airship's engines can be heard coming back on as it hovers lightly above the ground. Maria managed to fix her eyes "Oh, don't tell me I missed it!"

Cordovin struggles to pick up the mech's arm cannon "No! No, no, no, NO! You! You're never getting to Atlas! Do you hear me?! NEVER!" she presses a button on the controls "All forces converge on my position and eliminate these pests at once!"

"Crap!" Oscar shouted in surprise.

"Everyone on board! We're making a run for it!" Maria called out.

"What about Yang and Blake?" Jaune asked.

"Slade's still missing too!" Nora pointed out.

"We can't leave them!" Qrow agreed with determination.

Back in the mech, one of the screens read "Argus base channel open"

"Ma'am, we've been trying to reach you! Argus is in danger!"

Cordovin's expression widens in horror "What?" In the distance, a towering Grimm can be seen stomping in the water towards Argus. It lets out a terrifying roar. a massive legion of Manticores and Sphinx's in the air above the city of Argus.

"It's a Leviathan! It began its approach during your battle! We need you!"

Ruby looks back to her friends in horror, who all share equally concerned expressions. They look to Cordovin's mech, still struggling to lift up its arm cannon. multiple Manta aircraft engage in dogfights against Manticores and Sphinx's above the ocean. The Leviathan itself slowly trudges through the water approaching the city. Some aircrafts fly by for a gun run on the towering Grimm. The Leviathan, however, simply dives below the ocean and swims.

"All units, be advised: Leviathan-class Grimm has submerged but is still on approach. Preparing hard-light shields, over!" the Air-Control officer reported.

Ruby and her friends overhear the radio chatter with looks of horror on their faces. Cordovin continues to struggle getting the Colossus' arm cannon out of the water with it being covered in ice and rock Dust.

"We're getting slammed by hostiles out here! Where is Cordovin?!" asked one of the pilots, struggling to keep up with the Grimm.

"This is your fault! Do you hear me?!" Cordovin yelled enraged.

"Ruby!" Yang called rejoining the group with Blake and Slade, the latter of which being carried by the two girls.

"Yang! Blake! Are you okay?" Ruby asked before noticing Slade's condition "What happened?"

"Don't worry about me" Slade coughed painfully "I'll be... fine" he panted catching his breath.

"You don't look fine" Weiss grimaced.

Yang and Blake notice the disabled mech "What happened here?" Blake asked in shock.

The group then hears the Leviathan roaring "Was that a giant Grimm?" Yang asked.

"Yes... and we just ruined the only thing capable of stopping it" Weiss answered.

The group wastes no time boarding the aircraft, Slade was laid down on his back through his pained groans in the center of the aircraft. It begins to fly away. Ruby watches with pity as Cordovin continues to struggle moving the mech.

"This is your fault! YOUR FAULT! This is..." she gives up.

"Ma'am, what's your status? We need an answer, over!" an Atlas soldier yelled urgerntly.

"Your fault" Cordovin looks down sadly.

"I'm so sorry" Blake shook her head in shame.

"Don't be. This isn't on you" Yang assured her.

"But-"

"You're safe, that's all that matters" Ruby offers supportively. Blake smiles at her leader and the two hug. Ruby looks to Yang and the two share a smile.

"I suppose I have to be the bad guy and say it, getting the lamp to Atlas is still our top priority, and right now we have the perfect opportunity to head straight for it. We may not get another chance like this" Maria explained.

"No way!" Yang yelled.

"We can't leave, not like this" Weiss agreed.

"It's like you said, a Huntress is supposed to protect others to the bitter end" Blake used her own words against her.

"Damn right" Slade choked out as Jaune got to work on healing him with his Semblance.

"Keep still" Jaune instructed, Nora held Slade in place as he squirmed underneath him, a pained expression on his face.

Maria looks to Ruby, who just shrugs and smiles. Maria smiles back and continues to fly.

"We need to head for the Leviathan. Jaune, can you and Ren be ready to mask our ship?" Ruby asked.

"I'm not even close to done healing Slade yet!" Jaune answered concerned "In his condition, he's never-" Slade shrugged him off.

"Don't let those people die on my account" Slade said with determination.

"I'm not gonna stop healing you-" Slade glared up at Jaune "Unless you look at me like that" he chuckled nervously.

"I think we can manage" Ren answered with a smirk.

"Got a few ideas?" Jaune asked joining his teammate.

"I've got one" she answered.

"Eyes up, everybody. It's back" Qrow warned. The Leviathan swims for a bit before resurfacing above the water, letting out a terrifying roar.

"Argus Base, this is Manta 3-4! Leviathan has hit the shallows and resurfaced! We need those shields up now, over!" From the city, a large crowd gathers as they look out to the ocean with concern. Terra is making her way through the crowd, eventually reuniting with her wife Saphron and their son Adrian, before looking out to the ocean again in concern. As the Leviathan approaches Argus, a hard-light Dust barrier is erected, halting its progress.

"Target stopped! Engaging, over!" A pair of Manta aircraft are seen firing shots at the Leviathan. Suddenly, the Leviathan unleashes an energy beam attack from its mouth. It shifts the beam over to one of the poles powering the hard-light Dust barrier, destroying it. The Leviathan roars.

Ruby and her friends watch in horror from their aircraft "It tore straight through!" Oscar yelled in shock.

"All squadrons, fall back to evacuation procedures. Disengage Leviathan! I repeat, disengage! Over!" Air-Control commanded.

"No, wait!" Ruby runs up to the radio.

"Ruby!" Qrow called in surprise.

"We can stop it!" she shouted into the radio.

"Who is this? Identify yourself!"

"I'm a Huntress. My team and I are heading to the Leviathan and can weaken it for you to attack!"

Everyone looks at Ruby in shock "We can?" Jaune asked.

"I can" she answered.

"Ruby, when I said "trial by fire" I-" Maria tried.

"I did it at Beacon and at the farm" she argued.

"You really think you can do it now?" Weiss asked concerned.

"I don't have a choice"

"Manta 5-1, your ship is currently flagged as hostile. You will recieve no support, over"

"Fine, we'll do it alone if we have to" Ruby answered.

"When I find out which one of you just decided to hang us out to dry, I am personally going to FLAY YOU WITH-" Slade's threat was cut off on the radio as Ruby released the "Talk" button. From her mech, Cordovin over hears Ruby's radio chatter.

"We can hit it while it's stopped at the next barrier. Ren, you're up!" Ruby ordered.

Ren and Jaune proceed to combine their Semblances, masking the airship as it weaves between the air battles between Grimm and Atlas forces. The Leviathan makes its way to the next barrier and charges its energy breath again.

"We're too late! Pull up!" Qrow yelled.

The Manta aircraft pulls up out of the way as the Leviathan fires its breath, destroying the next barrier and toppling a cupola off one of the buildings in Argus. Ren and Jaune collapse as their Auras are drained.

"Damn it!" Jaune punched the wall of the aircraft.

"That's all I've got!" Ren gasped exhaustedly.

"It's on the move again! We need to stop it!" Weiss pointed out.

"What do we do?" Yang asked hoping someone had an idea.

Ruby thinks for a moment, before to looking to Weiss.

"Ruby" Slade called sitting himself up against the nearby wall "You'll need to get in close to do any lasting damage to that thing" he groaned.

The Leviathan continues to approach Argus, but suddenly, the aircraft carrying Ruby's group opens up its hatch doors "Eyes on us, ugly!" Nora yelled as she and Yang fired their respective weapons at the Leviathan.

"Is it working?" Blake asked.

"Unfortunately, yes! Hang on!" Maria shouted.

Blake runs over to Weiss, who is maintaining a Glyph she activated. Ruby is riding on the back of Weiss's Queen Lancer summon.

"Okay, okay, you can do this... You have to do this!" she convinced herself aloud.

Eventually, Ruby stops in front of the Leviathan. She closes her eyes and begins to concentrate, the noises all around her slowly muting out.

"Ruby? Ruby, hurry, something-" Yang yelled through her earpiece. Ruby takes out her earpiece and tosses it into the water below. She closes her eyes again to concentrate. As she concentrates, Ruby thinks back on various memories: She thinks of her father and sister, when Zwei first arrived at Team RWBY's dorm room, when she and her team are about to start a food fight, and when they get noodles after their victory in the tournament. She then thinks of Penny, then to when she first saw Jaune, of Team JNPR, of Pyrrha... Suddenly, Ruby starts to frown as bad memories start to flood her mind: the night when Jaune trained alone with a recording of Pyrrha, when she saw her friends wounded as Beacon was being evacuated, when Yang sank into depression over the loss of her arm. Ruby whimpers upon remembering the deaths of both Pyrrha and Penny...

Suddenly, Ruby opens her eyes again and notices the Leviathan standing face to face with her "What?" she asked in shock.

"Why'd it turn away?!" Yang asked fearing for her sister.

Ruby then remembers she has the Relic of Knowledge on her belt, which caused the Leviathan to have its attention on her "No, no, no, no!" Suddenly, the Leviathan opens its maw and lunges toward Ruby.

"JINN!" Ruby shouts while reeling back.

Suddenly, time stops. Everything slows down and freezes, even Yang as she calls "Ruby!"

Ruby then breathes a sigh of relief as she hears the rattling chains of Jinn "I'm sorry... I don't have a question for you. I just... I just needed a little more time"

Ruby looks to Jinn, who has a stern look on her face.

"I know... and while you don't seek knowledge, just this once, I shall give it freely. I will not allow you to use me without a question again" she smiled "Even if this was clever" Ruby nods at Jinn. She then turns to face the Leviathan again and closes her eyes to concentrate once more. Time slowly starts to go back to normal.

She thinks back to when Team RWBY decorated their dorm room, when Weiss gave her coffee, when Blake cheered for Weiss in Professor Port's class, when Yang was training her before leaving for Beacon, when Team RWBY celebrated their victory after saving Vale. Ruby smiles as she thinks back to the Beacon Dance and Team JNPR again, and then to when Qrow arrived at Beacon, to talking with Oscar, and then to Maria, and to Penny again... And finally, Ruby thinks back to her mother, her white cloak blowing in the wind as she overlooks a cliff watching a sunset. She then turns around, offering a warm smile. Her own Silver Eyes reflect back to her daughter's...

"Now, Ruby!" Slade's voice could be heard from her place as he used his Semblance to hold the Leviathan's head in place with all his remaining strength.

"Slade!" Yang calls in shock "What're you doing?"

"Buying her... more time" he strained out.

Ruby's own eyes then shine bright, the brightest it has ever been. A massive white light engulfs the area, turning the Leviathan to stone. The citizens of Argus and the Atlas military cheer as the Grimm threat has been nullified. Ruby's friends give proud smiles and Maria breathes a sigh of relief. Slade collapses in exhaustion, breathing heavily as he struggled to catch his breath. The light retracts back into Ruby's eyes, and she turns around to look at the city of Argus still standing. Suddenly, Ruby hears a stone crackling behind her. The Leviathan's head manages to move and tries to aim at Ruby.

"No" she gasped.

"I'll take it from here!" Suddenly, Cordovin shows up in the Colossus, its arm cannon now detached. Everyone looks in shock. Without the weight of the cannon, the Colossus begins to run toward the semi-petrified Leviathan "After all, I was sworn to protect the people!" The Colossus' left hand then transforms into a giant drill. Cordovin uses the drill to destroy the Leviathan, causing it to dissipate. The people of Argus cheer while the Arc family looks on with stupefied expressions.

The Colossus then walks over to Ruby. Its cockpit opens up revealing Cordovin herself standing in stern military manner "Thank you. And... I'm sorry" Ruby apologized.

"The Atlas military can handle the stragglers" she noted.

"What, uh... What are you saying?" Ruby asked confused.

Cordovin smiled "I'm saying I don't think anyone would notice if one more ship went missing in my lengthy report" Ruby smiles back at Cordovin, who then turns the mech around and runs off to join her men in taking down the remaining Grimm.

Jaune rushed over to Slade using his Semblance to help him recover "Damn it, Slade! You could've hurt yourself or worse! Overexerting yourself like that was crazy!"

"Ruby needed... more time" he panted out "Did you... think I... was just... gonna lay... her and... let her... fight... all on her... own?"

"I don't know if I've got enough left in me to fully heal your wounds" Jaune sighed.

"Can I help?" Yang asked kneeling in front of him holding up her hands up "Maybe you could use my Aura instead of yours?"

"I don't think it quite works that way, Yang" Jaune shook his head "But thank you, I'm sure he appreciates it just as much as I do-" Jaune stopped short when he noticed Slade had passed out from exhaustion.

"He did overdo it a bit" Weiss laughed.

"You can say that again" Blake sighed with a small smile.

Yang smiled down at Slade gratefully as she thought back to him rushing to their side, even in his injured state. Leaning down she kissed his forehead "Thank you" she whispered, getting to her feet and joining her teammates in welcoming Ruby back aboard the aircraft.

* * *

The airship Ruby and her friends are in flies through the night sky"We should have just enough fuel to make it" Maria told them as she continued piloting the aircraft.

"Thanks, Miss Calavera" Ruby called over to her.

"Hey, Ruby. You did great out there today, kid. Just don't go giving me heart attacks like that again" Qrow is about to take a drink from his flask, but ultimately decides not to. Ruby hugs her uncle.

"I love you, too" Qrow smiles at his niece as she walks away to join her friends.

"You weren't half bad yourself today, Qrow" Maria assured him.

Qrow smiles before sighing "I feel like they did all the heavy lifting" he admitted.

"But you were there to help when they asked for it, and you were there to catch them when they fell. Literally, if I recall" she laughed.

"Thanks. You know, it was pretty incredible getting to see the Grimm Reaper in action"

"Ha, you should have seen me when I was your age!" Qrow smiles as the two of them look out the cockpit's window to the night sky.

In the back of the aircraft, Weiss, Blake and Yang sit together "I'm sorry you went through that nightmare. But, I'm glad Yang was there for you in time" Weiss smiled at Blake.

Blake and Yang smile before the latter takes the cat Faunus' hand "We were there for each other"

"Took the words right out of my mouth" Nora smiled at them.

"Ahem" Slade cleared his throat having recently become conscious again.

"Oh yeah, Slade showed up too" Yang laughed "Would've been in trouble if he hadn't been there. Even if it was stupid of him!" she called over mockingly.

"Sure, make fun of the injured guy who saved your life. That's gonna get ya far in life" he smirked back at her.

Everyone then looks to Ruby "Hey, stop it!"

"You petrified a Leviathan... after diving down the barrel of a cannon!" Ren shouted still amazed.

Ruby laughs "Don't act like you all haven't done crazy stuff before! I mean, Oscar made a successful crash landing! He's a fourteen year old farm hand!" Ruby pointed out.

"That was seriously impressive" Jaune agreed.

"We'd have been stranded without you" Blake added gratefully.

"I... thanks, but... I've been meaning to tell you guys... I didn't land the ship on my own" Oscar admitted thinking back to when the airship was about to crash land.

"We're gonna crash! We're gonna CRASH!"

 _Stay calm, it's going to be okay_

"Ozpin took control?!" Nora asked shocked.

"No, he guided me... And then he was gone again" he explained.

"So he's still kicking around in there" Slade chuckled actually somewhat relieved to hear it.

"Does that mean he's been watching us this whole time?" Yang asked.

"I don't know, but... it at least means he was looking out for us" Oscar pointed out.

Everyone ponders this revelation before Qrow speaks up "Hey, if you've never seen Atlas in person before, you don't wanna miss this"

Ruby and her friends walk up to the cockpit window "Is it weird that I'm sorta nervous?"

"No, I'll believe we've made it to Atlas when I see it" Yang answered her sister.

"Well... believe it" Weiss smiled at her friends.

The airship comes out of the clouds, and the floating city of Atlas is seen coming into view "Wow!" Nora looked out in awe of the sight in front of her eyes.

"You know, you make the trip up to Atlas over and over, but you never get used to that view" Maria's prosthetic eyes start to act up again "Oh, come on!"

"It's quite something" Slade agreed struggling to his feet.

Weiss leans forward and has a nervous look on her face. Ruby notices this "Weiss, what is it?" Ruby asked concerned.

Everyone looks up, and notice above the city of Atlas many Atlas Airships "The Atlas air fleet... I knew all of our ships were called back, but..."

"They're set up like they're expecting an attack" Qrow finished.

Suddenly, the radio turns on "Manta 5-1, this is Atlas Air Control. You're scheduled to be escorting the Schnee heiress, please confirm"

"I've got this-" Maria reached for the radio only for Weiss to slap her hand away "Ow!"

"You really want to go through that again?" she asked annoyed.

"Manta 5-1, please respond" the radio spoke again.

"Someone's gotta say something" Qrow sighed.

"Allow me" Slade held his hand out for the radio. Qrow looked a bit reluctant but handed it to him nonetheless.

"Atlas Air Control, this is Manta 5-1. That is a negative on the previous objective, it was logged as a cover for a classified operation. We're currently delivering precious cargo to General James Ironwood with priority one clearance, clearance code Delta-One-Zero-One-Foxtrot . We were derailed aboard the Argus Limited and would very much like to get some much needed rest upon completion of said delivery. We're requesting permission to dock with the General's personal carrier or landing pad if he's topside, over" Slade reported with ease.

There was several moments of silence from the other end of the radio.

"You could've just said yes and we would've landed" Qrow sighed.

"This will get us to Ironwood faster" Slade replied.

"Acknowledged, Manta 5-1. Welcome home" the radio reported.

Slade smirked "See what I mean?"

"Manta 5-1, please land at the coordinates being sent to you at this trajectory" Air Control ordered.

"Well... looks like you did it" Qrow chuckled.

"How'd you know that would work?" Yang asked curiously.

"I'm not an elderly woman and I know how to talk to Atlas Military, I've had brushes with them in the past. Access codes always help too"

"I'm impressed" Nora laughed "Who knew Slade could sweettalk Atlas!"

"I wouldn't go that far" Slade sat back down careful not to reopen his wounds with a slight groan "Let's just get this thing landed Calavera, I don't like being in the sky anymore than I have to be"

* * *

In the Land of Darkness, Mercury is looking out the window in the meeting room. Emerald enters the room "Mercury, I wanted to-" Suddenly, she notices Mercury's face has an expression of horror as he looks out the window. Emerald looks to where he's looking "What is she doing?"

A Beringel is seen crawling out of one of the black, tar-like pits, with Salem herself standing close by. She then uses her magic as Nevermore wings suddenly sprout from the back of the Beringel. The Beringel gets used to its new appendages, before flying up to join many other Beringels also grafted with wings. Emerald and Mercury continue to watch in horror.

"There's an old saying" The two notice Hazel enter the room and stand next to them "If you want something done right... do it yourself"

Salem looks up to the army of Grimm she has gathered, before turning around and using her magic on the black pools again engulfing herself in the process.

"What could she possibly need all these Grimm for?" Mercury asked confused "She's got plenty of them as it is"

"Salem is planning on showing no mercy to Atlas this time around. The attacks on Argus and Haven were thwarted by Ozpin's group. With Slade having also joined up with them, she's fully prepared to leave the city in ruins like she did with Vale" Hazel explained.

"Doesn't she want Slade to join us?" Emerald asked curiously "How's he gonna do that if he's dead?"

"Slade has had many chances to join our ranks and has denied all of them. If he chooses to remain with Ozpin then he will die with Ozpin" he answered coldly as he turned to leave the room.

Mercury and Emerald continued to watch Salem in horror until they could no longer, quickly leaving the room to avoid seeing her horrid creations.

* * *

 **That's all for now guys! I know two weeks seems like a bit of a wait, but I promise, August 1st you're gonna have chapter 16 sitting in your hands... or lap... or whatever it is you read this on I suppose... the point is you'll have it! Thanks again for reading. I appreciate it!**


	16. Notorious

**Hey guys! As promised, Chapter Sixteen is here! I'd like to thank you guys for your continued patience and thank you to everyone for condolences sent, I appreciate it. Hope you guys like it!**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing!**

"Speech"

 _Thoughts_

* * *

 **Chapter Sixteen: Notorious**

The aircraft Ruby's group currently were riding in came down for a landing on the landing pad attached to the tallest tower in the center of the city.

"This is Atlas Academy" Weiss told them as they touched down "I guess it's no surprise that General Ironwood would be in his office here over anywhere else"

"Likely busy planning his invasion of Remnant" Qrow glowered.

"You don't have a very high opinion of General Ironwood do you?" Ruby asked surprised.

"With good reason" Slade and Qrow replied, they exchanged a smirk between them "C'mon. Let's not keep him waiting, we still need to secure the relic" Slade added opening the door.

Dozens of armed soldiers met them as the door opened, their weapons trained on the group "Halt!

"Looks like that code didn't do us much good, huh?" Qrow asked concerned.

"I didn't expect them to just roll over and let me in, but this is a bit much" Slade agreed counting at least two dozen men.

"Can you handle this?" Maria asked.

"Easy, boys. We're here to help, not hurt anyone" Slade's hands raised to surrender himself as he approached. He limped slightly as he walked, pain shooting through his body with every step.

"Not another step!" one of the men yelled stopping Slade in his tracks as they moved to surround him.

"C'mon, I already told you-

"On your knees!"

Slade knelt down and placed his hands on his head "I know the drill, is this all really necessary-"

"Quiet!" the soldier lowered his rifle and approached Slade, he placed a pair of handcuffs on him, before doing the same to his legs and attaching them with a chain between each set of cuffs.

"If I was looking to fight, you'd know it. I'm trying to help"

"I'm sure that's a great comfort to the lives you've taken" a commanding voice approached.

"Specialist Schnee!" all the men lowered their weapons and saluted as she came into view through the score of men.

"Keep your weapons trained on him at all times, he's extremely dangerous"

"Yes, Ma'am"

"Winter!" Weiss called excitedly rushing over to hug her sister, Winter stared down at her sister in shock. Not only was she there but she was there with a wanted criminal for heavens sake!

"Weiss?" she was surprised by her lack of proper form as well "What're you doing whit that man?!" she demanded angrily glaring at him.

"Slade?" she asked confused "He's a friend, he helped us get to Atlas. What did he do to warrant this?" she asked curiously looking around at the men never losing composure.

"Us?" Winter asked in surprise.

"Hey, Ice Queen" Qrow greeted with a cocky grin on his face, waving his hand lightly "Long time no see"

"Branwen" she growled "What're you doing here?"

"Just thought I'd drop in and see what's going on" he chuckled.

"We're on an important mission" Ruby answered her question.

"We need to see General Ironwood, it's urgent" Jaune added.

"Yet you not only brought that drunk, but you've also got a wanted criminal with you"

"Criminal?" Yang asked confused looking to Slade "What'd he do?"

"He slaughtered an entire town!" Winter shouted exasperated.

"Hey now! That's not how that went!" Slade defended getting to his feet "Cinder and Taurus killed those people, not me"

"On your knees, scum!" yelled one of the men as he slammed the butt of his rifle into Slade's abdomen, forcing him to the ground painfully. Slade's labored cough, splattered a larger amount of blood on the ground than was normal for such a minimal injury.

"Slade!" Yang called concerned, her eyes flashed red as she turned toward the man who attacked him.

"Stay back citizen! We have this under control"

"Under control?" Maria asked "In my day we called it what it was, sonny. Brutality. He's not even fighting back and you all know damn well he's capable"

"Yeah, hands off!" Nora shouted removing Magnhild from her back, aiming it at the soldiers.

"Lower your weapon" Winter growled.

Yang, Ren, Jaune, Blake, Qrow and Oscar all prepared themselves to attack if necessary "Not until you release Slade" Ruby glared at Winter as she aimed Crescent Rose toward her.

"That's not happening. Weiss, if you want your friends to not be harmed, I suggest you get them to lower their weapons" Winter warned, readying her blade.

Weiss looked between her friends and her sister "I..." she removed Myrtenaster and directed it at Winter "I'm sorry, Winter. But we cannot afford to fail our mission now" she smiled back to her friends "We've come too far"

"Weiss?" Winter was shocked by her decision "Fine then" she sighed "Arrest them. All of them" she looked to her sister in disappointment.

Slade stood up straight "No"

"Get back down-" one soldier swung his fist toward his abdomen once more, Slade caught his fist between both his hands and forced it back painfully over his shoulder, snapping his wrist "Augh!" Slade then moved his hands to each side of the soldiers head, the chain over the back of his neck. Slamming his knee upward into his face, he shattered the chains and the soldier's helmet, throwing him onto his back.

"Stop!" Winter yelled as his hand outstretched toward the soldiers. Every soldier aside from Winter was slammed against the nearby wall, desperately struggling to breathe.

"You can threaten and beat me all you want, I've grown accustomed to such things. But don't for one second think I was going to just let you harm my friends" Slade growled "Lower your weapon, call of your men, and let's talk about this like civilized people"

"You don't even know the meaning of the word, Stroud" she glared.

"I promise to release your men unharmed if you follow my requests"

"And if I refuse?"

"C'mon, I really don't want to hurt anyone" Slade sighed "I just need to speak to General Ironwood. I can assure you once he's heard what we have to say, he'll be happy you allowed us to see him"

"I cannot allow any of you to pass beyond this point. You've all committed several crimes in coming here"

"Like what?" Qrow asked crossing his arms.

"You stole an Atlas Military aircraft, you impersonated a dead officer, and now you've assaulted Atlas Security. Need I say more?" Winter asked cocking her eyebrow.

"We did technically do those things" Ren sighed.

"When did we impersonate a dead officer?" Oscar asked confused.

"Hey, I didn't say where I got the code-" Slade coughed painfully, losing his grip slightly on the men. Winter was about to seize the opportunity to strike at him, but his friends were all protectively standing between her and him by now.

"Enough!" a voice called from the door "Release these men" he was a tall middle-aged man with a slim build and slightly tanned skin. He has short black and gray hair as well as a thick mustache and eyebrows, and green eyes. He wore a gray overcoat with yellow linings, a yellow dress shirt and a black necktie. His pants are the same color as his overcoat. His yellow-buttoned undercoat and fingerless gloves match his cordovan shoes, under which he wears yellow socks

"Professor Watts! What're you doing here!?" Winter asked shocked.

"Taking control of the situation you let get out of hand, Specialist" he answered annoyed.

"Professor, I-"

"Have done enough" he turned to Slade "Release these men. I will order them to stand down and hear you out before taking any further action"

"Make a decision I don't like and we're just gonna be back here" Slade warned releasing the men.

"Men! Return to your posts, I have the situation under control" They quickly followed their orders and rushed inside "Now... why don't you enlighten me to your intentions here"

"We-" Slade coughed painfully once more, stopping himself. Yang turned to him to see if he was alright, he waved her off "We've come to deliver something important to General Ironwood-" he couldn't control his next coughing fit, he dropped to his knees painfully, hacking up more blood into his hands.

"Slade!" Yang called as she knelt down next to him.

"Is he alright?" Watts asked confused.

"No, and your soldier didn't help!" Jaune yelled annoyed, he quickly went to work on Slade with his Semblance. Slade felt too weak to fight back so he resigned himself to it.

"We're delivering something very important to General Ironwood, he needs to secure it immediately before someone else gets their hands on it" Ruby explained.

"What is it that you're delivering?" Watts asked.

"This" Blake answered as Ruby held up the lamp to show them. Watts had a brief glint of recognition cross his features but it was gone as soon as it came.

"A lamp?" Winter cocked her eyebrow.

"It's more than that I'm afraid" Maria sighed.

"It's very important we secure it safely in the academy vault" Oscar added.

"Vault?" Winter asked confused "There is no vault here in the academy, I would be aware of it if there was such a-"

"Trust me, you wouldn't know about it" Nora laughed.

"Every Huntsman Academy has a secret vault for storing things like this" Qrow explained.

"Shade, Beacon, Haven, even Atlas" Ren listed off.

"What makes this lamp so important?" Watts asked.

"It's-" Qrow stopped himself "It's classified" he sighed "I wish I could tell you more, but only the Headmaster's know about this. Very few people outside of the four of them are aware, and not all of them are on our side" Qrow explained.

"That's not good enough, we cannot allow you to see the General on just your word it's important. You stole an airship from Argus and undoubtedly didn't do so without a fight. You're gonna have to give us something better than-" Winter was interrupted.

"Allow me to escort you to the General" Watts smiled warmly.

"Professor! I must insist-" Winter yelled shocked.

"Specialist Schnee!" she stopped at her name "Are you truly so dense to not see they have been through quite enough? How many times have you seen a veteran Huntsman traveling with students from another academy with classified information? Do you think they went through all of the trouble of protecting something across the lands of Mistral and into our great city just to fool us or threaten us? Come now"

"But Professor-"

"That arm there" he pointed to Yang's prosthetic "That was made specially by the order of General Ironwood himself. If he believes she was worth the cost of such a project, then I am willing to believe he'd be interested in what they have to say. Besides, if they're lying to us, we will know. The General will either know of the lamp they have or not, then we shall have our answer on how to proceed"

Winter stared hard at the man but relented nonetheless "Do as you will" she sighed.

"Feel free to accompany us if you wish. Perhaps you'll be able to catch up with your sister you speak so dearly of" he smiled.

"Yes, Professor. Thank you"

"Is Mr. Stroud okay to walk?"

"He's not okay to do anything-" Jaune began to answer.

"I'm fine" Slade sat up, forcing Jaune's hands away.

"You're not fine!" Yang glared in annoyance "You almost keeled over from using your Semblance just once! You need to rest" she insisted.

"I'll rest once we have that safely locked away" he pointed to the lamp "Now are you going to help me up or not?"

"Ugh! You're so infuriating" Yang groaned as Qrow approached.

"C'mon then, we don't have time to waste" Qrow pulled Slade to his feet, slinging his arm over his shoulder "That alright?" he asked concerned.

"Fine" Slade answered with a brief wince in pain "Whenever you're ready, Professor" Yang rolled her eyes as she slung his opposite arm over her shoulder to help carry him.

"Follow me please" Watts motioned for the group to follow after him as he walked inside.

The group walked with everyone taking in the sights with the exclusion of those who had already been to Atlas before. Weiss and Winter conversed amongst themselves as they continued.

"I am glad to see you're well. I was so worried when I had heard you disappeared from the estate" Winter smiled lightly.

"Dad probably wasn't too happy about that" Weiss grimaced.

"Happy? He accused me of kidnapping you!" Winter laughed "Where'd you go anyway?"

"I was going to Mistral. I knew that's where you were stationed but later found out you had been called back before I arrived. I got kidnapped by a bandit tribe led by Yang's mother Raven and that's where I first met Slade.

"What was Slade doing there?" Winter asked already knowing the answer.

"Chasing the bounty on Raven's head" she answered with a small shrug "Yang helped him find her"

"I take it then that Branwen was taken care of?" Winter asked unsurprised.

"Raven's still alive if that's what your asking" Weiss answered "Slade decided to stick around and let Raven go to make sure Yang and I were able to get to Mistral to rejoin Ruby and everyone else. Slade decided to stay when Cinder came calling to recruit him"

"He's hoping you can all protect him" Winter growled.

"Trust me, Winter. Slade can take care of himself just fine, he took down two really strong opponents without even breaking a sweat and barely even used his Semblance"

"Then why is he traveling with you?" Winter asked confused "Money? Did you promise him anything? Did you-"

"I don't know, Winter. Slade left Mistral after he knew everyone was alright and Yang had reunited with us but came back and saved our butts during the attack on Haven. If it wasn't for him, all of us might not be here right now. I had a pretty close call there"

"What?" Winter asked shocked.

"Cinder impaled me on a spear, Jaune's Semblance healed me. Slade kicked their asses while he was busy making sure he had plenty of time to get me back in shape" she smiled looking back at him "Slade almost died back in Argus. He was injured by our fight with Cordovin-"

"Cordovin injured Slade?" Winter asked shocked "Why were you even fighting Cordovin?"

"She was in a mech suit" Weiss shrugged "And she wouldn't let us through to Atlas so we ended up stealing an aircraft, she wasn't too happy about that"

"So how'd Slade almost die then?" she asked curiously.

"Slade fought against Cordovin with us but was thrown into the forest around town and got hurt pretty bad from the fall. Yang and Blake were fighting Adam Taurus in there and he decided to go help them. According to them, he saved their lives yet again. He's dead by the way, Taurus that is"

"Good to know" Winter nodded in approval looking to Yang and Blake impressed "What else happened?"

"Well, when Slade managed to get back to us he was in no condition to fight. A Leviathan showed up and Ruby went to go stop it with her eyes, still not one hundred percent on that yet and he used his Semblance, refusing healing from Jaune so they could both help to keep Ruby safe, stopping the Leviathan in it's tracks. Of course he then passed out afterwards and Jaune healed him as much as he could, but there's still some pretty fresh wounds on him right now. If he'd done anything more in his state, Jaune said he could've died"

"Is that right?" Winter looked back at Slade being carefully being carried by Qrow and Yang with a newfound admiration "I never would've guessed him to be the hero type" she chuckled "Guess people can always surprise you right?" she asked looking to her younger sister.

"You've got that right" Weiss laughed "If you had told me a year ago that I would be friends with all of these weirdos and actually enjoy having them around? I would've laughed in your face and probably publicly shamed you... but I'm not that person anymore either" she smiled back at Ruby "My friends have made me better, they've made me... whole"

Winter smiled proudly at her little sister "You really have changed, Weiss. I'm proud of you... in a way. Just don't ever do anything that can get you arrested again, or so help me-"

"I know, Winter" Weiss smiled back at her "I love you too" Winter rolled her eyes lightly.

"Wait here" Watts called back to the group, knocking on the door. Slade untangled himself from Qrow and Yang's grip and approached the door "Slade?" Yang asked confused. Slade kicked the door open impatiently "Mr. Stroud!" Watts yelled in shock.

"General" Slade called gripping his side painfully "We need to talk"

Ironwood stood up from his desk and reached for his sidearm. Slade tossed a miniature disc onto his arm sending an electric current through the metal temporarily disabling it "Slade?" Ironwood finally realized who he was looking at as his metal arm dropped limp at his side.

"In the flesh" Slade leaned against the nearby wall and slumped to the ground.

"Slade!" Yang rushed inside the room "Stop overdoing it dammit! You're injured, you need to rest!"

"Yeah, yeah, I know" he waved her off "I promise I am taking it easy now alright?"

"Ms. Xiao Long?" Ironwood asked confused, he looked to the rest of the group.

"You held onto that all this time?" Qrow asked with a slight smirk, looking down at Slade.

"Well, you did only have the one" he shrugged.

"Qrow?" Ironwood's metal arm finally became usable again as he peeled the disc off of his arm "What're you doing here? What're you all doing here? How did you even get here?"

"It's... a long story" Qrow waved off "Short version is: Slade's on our side, turns out he's not the horrible criminal we were lead to believe. But that's not important, what is important... is this" he gestured to Ruby entering the room with the Relic of Knowledge in her hands.

Ironwood stared in shock at the relic but remained silent, he sat down at his desk and looked over to Winter "You'd better have a good explanation for all of this" he sighed.

"I wouldn't say it's necessarily good, Sir" Watts stepped forward "But I was the one who made the decision to bring them to you. It seems that was the right one... I would hear what they have to say" Ironwood continued to glare at Winter.

"I... have yet to come to that decision myself" he turned back toward Qrow "Arthur, why don't you fetch Mr. Stroud some painkillers. That should help keep him mobile at least"

"Of course, General" he bowed before leaving the room as the rest of the group situated themselves in his office.

"I'll return to my duties then-" Winter saluted but was stopped by Ironwood's hand raising to stop her.

"Stay, Winter. It's probably for the best you hear what we're going to discuss"

"Are you sure about that?" Qrow asked trying his best not to sound insulting "It's not exactly something just anyone should hear-"

"Yet you have a bunch of first year trainees, a blind old woman, a boy even younger than the others, and a Bounty Hunter all privy to this information?" Winter asked cocking her eyebrow.

"Oz was the one who chose to involve them. Aside from Maria and Slade... that just kind of happened. Though I suppose Oz decided to involve Slade long before the rest of these kids"

"That doesn't sound any better-"

"Enough" Ironwood silenced their argument "I trust Winter more than anyone else in Atlas. If something important is to be shared about that relic or anything involving something like this. I want her to be present for it" he sighed, leaning forward onto his desk intertwining his hands together as he rested his elbows on the desktop "Now... start talking"

* * *

Salem sat in her usual chair in her meeting room, the room had been completely restored to it's previous condition. The door opened as Hazel entered the room, he looked around in surprise.

"Like what I've done with the place?" Salem asked with a smirk.

"I'm surprised everything was repaired so quickly" he answered honestly "This room was completely trashed no more than an hour ago"

"My power does a great many things, Hazel. Repairing infrastructure isn't something I normally focus on but given the circumstances... I believed everyone would be more comfortable if I returned things to how they were before"

"Of course" he nodded taking his seat. Mercury and Emerald entered the room as well, standing off to the side where Cinder usually sat but never took a seat.

"Please" Salem gestured to the chairs "Make yourselves comfortable. Cinder isn't here right now and Arthur and Tyrian are on assignment. I'm sure they won't mind you borrowing them" Mercury nodded taking a seat in Tyrian's usual spot, Emerald hesitated but eventually decided to take Cinder's old chair "Good, I'm glad we can all be civilized. I apologize for my earlier display... I was understandably upset"

"Of course, no one blames you for feeling that way. It was a lot of distressing news" Hazel agreed.

"Thank you, Hazel" she smiled lightly.

Mercury cleared his throat gaining her attention "Was... Was there a reason you called for us, Ma'am?" he asked cautiously.

"Of course, to business then" she nodded "Arthur has returned to Atlas with Tyrian as planned. General Ironwood was delighted to finally have him back from his "extended vacation" Salem chuckled lightly "Of course we all know his intentions there are for more sinister than the good General expects"

"Yeah" Mercury nodded, Emerald remained silent. Still greatly fearing getting on Salem's bad side after what she saw her do to Hazel.

"Ozpin and his team are also on their way to Atlas. My Leviathan and the other Grimm I sent to destroy Argus and secure the relic failed. It appears Ms. Rose has begun learning how to control her power much like her mother once did" she explained with a shake of her head.

"That cannot be good" Hazel sighed "If she is to gain complete control over her power, she could prove a threat to your plans. Even Cinder would be greatly affected by her now, considering her Maiden powers and her newly acquired appendage" he surmised.

"That's correct" Salem nodded "However we have a more pressing issue"

"Really?" Mercury asked "What could be more important than that and Ozpin's return?"

"You're aware of Slade's presence among the group... but you're not aware of the full extent of his power. I am the only one who knows"

"Well... what can he do?" Emerald asked cautiously, finally speaking up for the first time.

"Slade has the ability to manipulate anything with his mind, he needn't even see it for him to have control over it. His control is so refined he is able to shape his own body or other objects around each other for short enough of a time to pass through it before placing everything back in it's place. The human mind cannot fathom what it is seeing, so it merely appears as he is simply passing through things, like he's transparent somehow... however..." she paused catching her breath leaving everyone in suspense. Looking up at the group she sighed "This is not limited to physical objects"

Everyone stared at her in confusion "What do you mean?"

Salem sighed "Slade is able to manipulate the incorporeal" she answered "For instance, if he so desired. Slade could removed Ozpin from the body he is now occupying, the same could be said for the Maidens. Slade could steal their power even though he isn't a female, it wouldn't quite be the same as if he had inherited it normally, but the possibility is there. Of course he could also transfer it to someone else, for instance Ruby Rose could potentially become a Maiden through Slade's Semblance"

"That's dangerous" Hazel growled in annoyance "I can see why you've wanted him to work with you for so long now, but how is it that you're connected to his mind as Ozpin is with his hosts? You never fully explained how you could exist within him but also here as well" he asked curiously.

"How astute of you" she chuckled "Perhaps one day I shall even tell you, but for now I would like to keep it my secret"

"I understand" Hazel nodded in disappointment. The doors opened as a Seer Grimm entered the room, quickly making it's way to Salem.

"What is it my dear?" she asked as an image of Arthur Watts appeared.

"Forgive me for the intrusion, your Grace. It's urgent"

"Go ahead" Salem nodded.

"Qrow Branwen and the others have arrived in Atlas and are here at the Academy speaking with Ironwood. They could be securing the relic in the vault any day now and we still don't know who the Winter Maiden is!" he explained in distress "What would you have me do?"

Salem pondered the information he had given her "Is Slade there with them?"

"Yes, though he seems to be injured. I'm not sure what happened but he's in no shape to fight anytime soon" he answered.

Salem grinned back at him "Arthur, I want you to do something for me"

"Anything, you need only ask"

"Good" she laughed.

"What is it you require of me?"

"Nothing" she answered her grin widening.

"Nothing? I don't understand, you don't want me to capture Slade?"

"Slade is in the perfect position for us now. It doesn't matter if they secure the relic in the vault. We still need the Winter Maiden to get the relic beneath Atlas" she explained "Did you find what I asked you for yet?" she asked sternly.

"I did, though I am unsure what use it would do for you" he answered holding up the file in question "Tyrian is on his way back with a copy for you as we speak. I sent him the moment Qrow's team touched down" he explained.

"Which would be right now!" Tyrian called as he entered the room.

"How did you get back here so fast?" Hazel asked confused.

"A gift from me" Salem answered "One you shall all be receiving just as Tyrian and Arthur already have" she took the file from an excited Tyrian.

"I cannot wait to see what you do with that!" he laughed excitedly.

"It does have some interesting developments" she grinned "Go back to Arthur and await further instructions. I will call on you very soon"

"Your Grace" he bowed as a dark oval shaped corridor opened up behind him "It was so nice to see you all again" he called to the rest of the group "Ta!" he waved as he slinked his way into the corridor disappearing from view just before it vanished into thin air.

"What in the hell was that?" Mercury asked shaking somewhat.

"I told you already. A gift" Salem grinned down at the file in front of her "Oh, I can use this" she began laughing "This is going to be **FUN**!" her voice altered slightly to a deeper, darker tone as her eyes flared with dark black flames for a brief second before returning to normal.

* * *

Ironwood stared at the group in front of him, they were all waiting patiently for him to say something after they had finished telling their story. Winter shared the General's amazement at the story she had just heard.

"General?" Nora called nervous at his silence.

"Apologies... it's a lot to take in" he answered.

"That's not even all of it, James" Qrow sighed "Those were just the surface details. I didn't even get to mention Ozpin yet-"

"Ozpin?" Winter and Ironwood asked simultaneously "He died at Beacon didn't he?" Ironwood asked in shock.

"He did" Qrow sighed "But you know how that goes"

"Don't tell me he's already reincarnated"

"Reincarnated?!" Winter asked in shock.

"Ozpin gets reincarnated into another body every time he dies. The only way to end that is to stop Salem permanently. Unfortunately no one has discovered a way to do that yet" Ironwood explained.

"That's because there is no way to do that" Oscar spoke up.

"What was that, boy?" Winter asked "Just because something seems hopeless doesn't mean-"

"Oscar meant what he said, Winter" Weiss sighed "We used the relic to ask what Ozpin was hiding from us and learned everything about his and Salem's past. Salem is not only immortal, but nothing she does kills her. She was cursed by both the Gods we spoke of when they left Remnant"

"So... what did Ozpin plan to do to stop her?" Ironwood asked gaining disappointed looks from the group "I see..." he looked distressed "All this time and we had only been delaying the inevitable" he sighed.

"That's not true" Ruby called out surprising Ironwood "It's not inevitable if we keep fighting. As long as we keep one step ahead of Salem and keep the relics out of her hands she'll never win"

"She's right" Slade smiled lightly, holding his chest in pain with his right hand "It's only inevitable if we give up"

"That's not how that works" Ironwood sighed "Inspiring words and speeches don't help you against an unstoppable enemy. If she cannot be killed then we cannot stop her, this war will go on forever unless she wins"

"Just because something cannot be killed doesn't mean it cannot be stopped" Slade growled.

"Look-"

"No, General! They're right!" Yang yelled in anger as her eyes flashed red "We had our moments of doubt just as you did when we learned this. But Slade and Ruby decided it wasn't worth giving up to let Salem have her way. Eventually we all agreed to not stop fighting no matter what comes"

"Yeah" Jaune agreed with a smile as he and his team joined Ruby's team in proudly standing together.

"I'm not about to let that mad woman ruin my retirement so easily" Maria laughed "We're gonna fight until there's nothing left to fight or until we die"

"Hopefully the first option if you don't mind" Oscar chuckled "I'd rather like to have some time to myself after this is over"

"This may never be over!" Ironwood yelled standing up abruptly "Don't you get that? We could fight our entire lives away, the next hundred generations away and nothing would change! Salem would still be out there plotting against us and Ozpin will just find another damned host-"

"Then so be it" Slade sighed "If we're destined to fight and die so others can live their lives in peace... then I'm prepared to pay that price"

Ironwood stood shocked that none of them were deterred by his words "But..." he looked to Winter who only smiled back at him.

"Don't look at me, General. I'm with them" she took to standing beside her sister "If my Little Sister can muster the courage to fight against Salem. Then so can I"

"Schnee..."

"You heard em, Jimmy" Qrow chuckled "We can't let these kids show us up now can we?" he asked with a lighthearted smile.

Ironwood smiled lightly back at him "No... I suppose we can't" he stepped out from around his desk "What is it you plan to do exactly?"

"First we need to secure the relic in your vault" Blake answered.

"Once that's done we can come up with a plan to defend Atlas from Salem's forces" Ren added.

"Yeah, it's unlikely she's going to ignore both relics being here at once and go after Shade Academy instead, especially if she knows Ozpin is here" Qrow smirked.

"Ozpin is here?" Ironwood asked looking among the group "But who could-" he stopped upon seeing Oscar holding Ozpin's cane. Ironwood stared down at the boy in utter bewilderment "You cannot be serious-"

"Yeah, yeah, we know it's weird but Ozpin isn't exactly here anymore" Slade sighed.

"What do you mean?"

"Ozpin was discouraged by us when we were upset with him for lying to us... some pretty harsh things were said" Qrow answered "I... I made him retreat back into Oscar's mind, locking himself away in there. We don't know how much he can see and hear or if he's just watching us all the time, but when Oscar had to crash land an airship back in Argus, Ozpin guided him before disappearing again" Qrow explained.

"That certainly is something" Ironwood rubbed his chin thoughtfully "There's only one problem"

"What is it?" Qrow asked.

"The Winter Maiden is gone"

* * *

Slade limped his way out of the Academy with the help of Yang and Ruby "That did us a whole lot of nothing" Yang sighed.

"Well, at least Ironwood is up to date and still willing to work with us" Slade offered.

"Yeah! And Weiss's sister is going to be helping us too!" Ruby said enthusiastically pumping her fist into the air excitedly, losing her grip on Slade and shaking him violently.

"Ow, ow, ow" he groaned.

"Oops! Sorry" Ruby placed his arm back over her shoulder.

"Now what're we gonna do?" Jaune asked curiously.

"Hunt for the Winter Maiden?" Oscar asked.

"First we need to get some rest" Qrow ordered "You all did pretty good back in Argus but you've still not recovered yet. Slade worst of all" he chuckled.

"I'm fine" Slade laughed "Just give me a cane and I can still kick your ass"

"Oh no, you're not doing anything unless you want to find my boot up yours!" Yang lectured in a motherly tone.

"You're no fun" Slade pouted.

"Regardless, Slade's going to need to get treated again pretty soon" Jaune agreed with Yang "There was only so much I could do after the fight with the Leviathan and Cordovin"

"Yeah. You did a pretty good patch up job considering" Slade called over to him.

"Thanks" he smiled back.

"Well where are we gonna be staying?" Nora asked curiously "It's not like anyone has a house around here... well..."

"No! Not happening!" Weiss shouted.

"You really wouldn't want to meet our father" Winter agreed.

"I don't know... I've heard things about him" Slade smirked "Might want to give him a good thrashing to straighten him out"

"There will be no thrashing" Ren chuckled.

"Ren's right, the last thing we need is to be thrown in jail for beating up a defenseless old man" Blake sighed "As much as I would love to kick his particular ass, we need to keep a low profile"

"So back to the earlier question... where are we staying exactly?" Maria asked curiously.

"Ironwood has a safehouse for Huntsmen from other nations to use when they're visiting the city. Of course no one is using it right now, they're all back at home, fighting their own battles" Qrow explained.

"What do you mean?" Ruby asked confused.

"Think about it, Ruby. Mistral doesn't have a lot of Huntsmen anymore after Lionheart got a lot of them killed, and Vale is still fighting off all the Grimm from the Fall of Beacon. Vacuo is the only nation that spared some Huntsmen to help Mistral defend it's towns from Grimm and bandit attacks" Yang explained.

"Atlas has kept all of it's Huntsmen back at home to prepare for any incoming invasion by Grimm like what happened at in Vale" Winter added "Unfortunately I was hoping he was just paranoid and this would all blow over... guess there's no real hope of that happening now" she sighed.

"Salem is going to attack the city one way or another" Slade grimaced in pain as he spoke "More than likely she's already got someone working for her here in the city preparing for her armies arrival"

"Army?" Winter asked "You know she's attacking with an army?"

"After what I saw back in Argus, you can almost guarantee she is going to be sending an attack force two to three times the size of what she sent there. Not to mention Atlas is in the air, she's gonna need to send a lot of Nevermore's, Manticore's, Sphinx's and any other winged Grimm she has to even have a shot. More than likely she could have a Wyvern or two waiting in the wings to lead the assault"

"You seem to know a lot about Salem" Winter pointed out suspiciously.

"I know how she thinks" Slade sighed.

"How exactly do you know that?"

"Because she's in his head" Qrow answered stopping Winter in her tracks.

"She's what!?"

"Relax, she can't see or hear anything as long as I block her connection to me" Slade waved off dismissively "It's not like with Ozpin where his soul has a physical place in Oscar's body, Salem is still a separate person from me so she can only see and hear what I want her to when I want to. It's something I've picked up after having her in my head for six years" Slade explained.

"So she cannot just take control of you?"

"No, she cannot. If she can she has never exercised it's use even when I had the relic in my possession. I'd say it's a safe bet to go with a definitive no"

"That's good to hear" Winter sighed in relief.

"Relax, Winter" Weiss placed her hand into her own "Slade's on our side, he's more than proven himself on several occasions"

"I know, I know. I'm sorry, I just can't stop seeing you as a criminal, it's the only thing I've ever known you as" she apologized.

"Don't worry about it" Slade chuckled "I'm sure you and I will be friends before you know it"

"I wouldn't count on that, I'm not really a people person"

"Neither am I" Slade laughed.

The group continued on, talking and laughing as they made their way out of the Academy and out into the city of Atlas.

* * *

The group stared in absolute shock "This is where we're staying?" Weiss asked disgusted looking at the run down house, boarded up windows and leaking gutters. All around the house looked completely run down and vacant for far too long.

"You're not serious" Yang groaned in annoyance.

"It doesn't quite look how I remember it" Qrow admitted sheepishly.

"We cannot be staying here" Nora agreed, grimacing at the sight.

"It hasn't been used in nearly ten years" Winter replied "Of course, it's outside appearance is just a façade" she unlocked the door with a passcode "After you" she gestured to the group as she held the door open for them.

The interior of the building contrasted with the exterior. The furniture was all beautifully maintained with the floors so clean they could see their own reflection staring back at them.

"Now this is what I'm talking about!" Ruby shouted excitedly zipping around between rooms looking through them curiously with an awed expression on her face.

"This is impressive" Ren agreed.

"Thank you" Winter nodded "Would you like a tour?"

"That'd be great" Blake smiled up at the woman, Winter forced herself to keep a straight face in front of the Faunus girl as she knew about her already from Weiss. She may not have agreed with that particular relationship but at least she knew she could be trusted.

"You okay?" Yang asked as she guided Slade inside with Nora's help.

"I can handle myself well enough from here, thanks. Both of you" he smiled at the two of them.

"Anytime" Nora nodded releasing him, she quickly joined the rest of the group touring the grounds.

"There's six bedrooms, three bathrooms, a living room, a dinning room, a large basement for training purposes and finally a kitchen for preparing food" Winter explained showing the group the rooms.

"Yang?" Slade asked catching her attention from smiling at him.

"Yeah?" she asked barely listening.

"You can let go of me now" Yang's eyes were wide in shock, she released Slade as her face flushed from embarrassment. Slade chuckled lightly as he made his way to one of the nearby pieces of furniture "Lost in my eyes were we?" he asked playfully. Yang punched him in the arm with her prosthetic "Ow!" he winced lightly "Still injured!"

"You asked for it" she shrugged unapologetically as she walked off.

"Rude" Slade narrowed his eyes staring at the back of her head.

"This place is amazing" Oscar stared in awe of the beauty of the place.

"Thank you, Mr. Pine" Winter smiled at the boy "I'm sure you'll get a good nights rest here-"

"I know I will!" Maria made her way up into one of the nearby bedrooms slamming the door behind her.

"Guess we know who's taking that room" Yang laughed as she joined the group.

"You can discuss how you'd like to situate yourselves while I run out to get you all something to eat. Until General Ironwood manages to get some identification together for you all, I wouldn't go anywhere outside the district without me or the General with you"

"I have my license. Shouldn't that count?" Qrow asked surprised.

"That's not going to do you any good during a kingdom wide lockdown. Don't worry, it won't take him very long" Winter nodded to the group making her way out of the hallway and down the stairs back into the room Slade was in.

"Yang and I can share one!" Ruby shouted excitedly.

"Guess that means Blake and I will take the one across the hall from you" Weiss laughed.

"Nora and I shall be bunking together. I assume you'll be by yourself Jaune?" he asked curiously.

"Maria already claimed one of the bedrooms. Everyone else is going to have to share with someone" he chuckled "I'm sure Oscar and I will do just fine together"

"Yeah, that just leaves Qrow and Slade" Oscar pointed out.

"We'll manage" Qrow chuckled "It's not like he'll bother me much anyway"

Winter looked to Slade with a stern expression on her face "Stroud"

"Winter?" he greeted questioningly as she made her way over to him.

"You may have everyone else fooled but I know who you are and I know what you do" she growled earning a small glare from Slade, narrowing his eyes as he did.

"Look, Winter. I don't know who exactly told you about me, but we haven't ever met before today. I would appreciate it if you judge me on my actions and not on rumors surrounding me-"

"Rumors about when you mercilessly slaughtered a town of innocent civilians?" she asked menacingly.

Slade stood abruptly in anger "I had nothing to do with that!" he growled.

"Maybe... maybe not" Winter shrugged "If you even lay a finger on Weiss I'll-" Slade collapsed onto the floor in front of her with a loud thump "... Slade?" she asked confused.

"Everything okay down there?" Qrow called from upstairs.

"Slade just collapsed!" Winter called back as she rolled him onto his back, opening his vest to find several large wounds mixing with the scars on his chest.

"Slade!" Yang called as she rushed down the stairs with Jaune not far behind "Dammit! His wounds have reopened"

"I've got it" Jaune slid to his side next to Winter and went to work using his Semblance.

"How'd he get those?" Winter asked.

"Cordovin's giant mech threw him pretty far and through some trees. Probably broke something on the way down, and helping us fight off Taurus didn't help" Yang sighed.

"Not to mention he overdid it when that Leviathan showed up. Slade stopped it's whole head dead in it's tracks when Ruby was preparing to petrify it" Jaune explained.

"Petrify? How does she do that? Is it her Semblance?" Winter asked in shock.

"It's her Silver Eyes" Yang answered "Somehow it grants her power over the Grimm, lesser Grimm are completely destroyed but large ones like the Leviathan and the Wyvern back at Beacon were both petrified" she explained.

"So that's how it happened..." Winter pondered this for a moment "If Salem ever attacks Atlas with Wyverns or anything remotely as dangerous. Ruby can defeat them for us before they're even a threat!"

"She hasn't exactly mastered it yet" Yang shrugged sheepishly "It seems to only be a one time thing. Once she uses it she can't really use it again too soon"

"How unfortunate, that would come in handy when the hour arises"

Slade suddenly shot up his eyes wide in shock as he struggled to get back up, Yang forced him onto his back "Lay down, Slade! You're gonna hurt yourself even worse. Just let Jaune work"

"I saw something!" Slade gasped in distress "Salem... she's..." he struggled to breathe through the pain.

"Shhh" Yang soothed him "It can wait, just focus on breathing and let Jaune heal you. Once you're all good, you can talk to us alright" she continued to speak in a soothing tone, calming Slade down tremendously.

"Okay... I'll try" he relented.

"Thank you" she smiled down at him.

"No offense to Mr. Arc, but he needs a doctor. Someone to look at his injuries-"

"No doctor" Slade groaned "They'll have to make an official report, if Salem has someone working in Atlas right now it's more than possible they'd have access to those files. Jaune can handle it"

Winter glared but nevertheless agreed "You're probably right, I'm gonna make sure you've got plenty of food to eat by the time he's done so you can stock up on energy" she offered turning toward the door.

"Thank you, Winter" he called genuinely.

"Whatever" she waved dismissively.

"I think I'm growing on her" he coughed.

"Slade!" Yang groaned.

"Alright, alright, no more talking" he laid back with a sigh.

"It does make this a whole lot easier" Jaune offered "One of these days I'm gonna have to read through a medical handbook or something so I have a better understanding of what to heal and where to start"

* * *

Yang watched as Slade slept, raggedly breathing in and out as her friends looked concerned "Is he going to be alright?" Ruby asked.

"Jaune did what he could, but Slade's got some broken bones and internal wounds that he's only been able to do so much for... Slade's going to need to take it easy for the next few days, especially if he refuses to see a doctor" Yang answered with a sigh.

"I'm sure he's gonna take that well" Weiss scoffed.

"He's not exactly the type to just lay around" Blake agreed.

"He's gonna have to if he ever wants to fight again" Yang sighed "He's gonna keep pushing himself too hard until something breaks beyond repair" The group stared uneasily as her eyes shifted to them "I feel so helpless sometimes, he's always coming to save me and what have I done for him?"

"Yang, you can't blame yourself for this" Ruby offered gently "You're not responsible for all of Slade's decisions. You should know better than anyone what it's like to fight for those you care about at your expense" she gestured to her arm.

Yang remained silent, staring down at Slade's sleeping form. She stood from her place on the bed next to him, and turned toward her friends "Let's let him rest for now. He's gonna be enough of a pain in the ass when he wakes up on his own, let alone if we disturb him" she laughed lightly.

"Yeah" her team agreed, all nodding with smiles of differing sizes among them.

Team RWBY descended the stairs to the living room with JNPR, Oscar, and Qrow all sat patiently waiting for Winter to return with their dinner "How is he?" Oscar asked as they took open seats around them.

"He's managing... for now" Weiss shrugged.

"If he keeps pushing himself too hard he's just gonna make it worse" Jaune sighed.

"Yeah, we know" Blake shook her head.

"If only we could get through that thick skull of his" Ruby said playfully, gaining a laugh from the group. Yang didn't hear them, she just stared at the floor in front of her.

"Firecracker?" Qrow asked concerned.

"Huh?" Yang looked up "Oh, sorry. Yeah he needs to rest"

Nora and Ren share a look "Is everything alright, Yang?" the latter asked concerned.

"You've been on edge ever since Slade got hurt" Nora added.

"Of course I'm not alright!" she nearly shouted "I asked Slade to get involved in all of this and now he's hurt because of me! Because I'm not strong enough! He's always saving me from something and what have I ever done for him? All I've been able to give him was more pain... if I had been stronger at Beacon, Adam wouldn't have been in Argus and Cordovin wouldn't have ever known we had her airship until it was too late... He never would've gotten hurt"

"Don't blame yourself, Yang" Ruby tried to calm her down.

"Slade chose to fight Cordovin on his own, he chose to fight Adam with us even after his injury" Blake pointed out.

"He wouldn't have been hurt at all if he never came with us at all. I'm the one who talked him into it in the first place... it's on me" a stray tear fell from her eye.

"Slade made his own choice to come with us just like everyone else here" Weiss placed her hand onto Yang's shoulder comfortingly "Slade's a big boy, he can make his own decisions. You didn't force him into anything he didn't want to do"

"He never wanted to be a part of the war against Salem, but I wouldn't let him leave the bar that night. I begged him so many times to..." she let the statement hang as she struggled to hold back a fresh set of tears, her fists shaking in anger.

The group stared in silence "You really care about him don't you?" Jaune asked.

"Of course I care about him, he's my friend-"

"That's not what he meant and you know it, Yang" Weiss interjected.

Yang remained silent as she looked up at the roof thoughtfully "I... I..." she couldn't answer, she wasn't even entirely sure how she felt. Sure she liked Slade, but that was only because he was always there for her, even when he didn't need to be, when he had no reason to be. Slade never had any obligation to help her find Raven or stay with her to find Ruby, he certainly had nothing forcing him to stick around and fight off Cinder and her friends. Adam was her problem, Blake's problem, and yet he rose to the challenge even as injured as he was. Slade was always there, with those eyes, and that damned smile that made her feel like she had butterflies fluttering around in her stomach. Oh god she so had the hots for him she groaned internally.

"Yang?" her sister called.

"Maybe a little" she relented with a deep sigh.

"Yang's in love!" Nora shouted excitedly forcing Yang to cover her mouth from all the noise.

"I will kill you" she warned "And it will be painful" Nora nodded, Yang released her.

"Yang's in love!" she whispered.

"Nora" she groaned with a roll of her eyes and a laugh.

"I can't even remember the last time you had a thing for a boy" Qrow chuckled.

"And how would you know when I had things for boys?" Yang asked accusingly.

"You'd always tell Ruby" he answered.

"Ruby!" she shouted in disbelief.

"I never told him!" she defended in shock.

"I was always listening" he laughed at their annoyed expressions.

"Well you never did have anything for them for too long" Ruby giggled "They were always scared of you, and you really didn't like that"

"Yeah, that's why no one asked me to the dance back at Beacon" Yang sighed "Not that I was the only one but..." she looked over to her prosthetic arm "How intimidating must I be now" she asked revealing her insecurity about her arm.

"Yang" Blake's ears drooped sadly.

"People were scared of me when I was still completely human, how is anyone supposed to look at this arm and see me behind it if I can't even do that myself?" she turned away shamefully.

"People might be scared of anything robotic more than usual because of what happened to Penny and how the world found out about her, but not everyone cares about that sort of thing. I know Slade sure as hell doesn't" Weiss assured.

"Yeah, Yang. You can't just give up because you're scared people aren't going to be able to see past your "Handicap" Ruby made air quotes with her hands.

"Ruby..." Yang looked up at her sister.

"Not everyone thinks of your accident when they look at you, and trust me, no one looks at the arm when they first see you" Jaune assured her.

"They're too busy staring at that hot bod!" Nora shouted causing the group to laugh.

"Nora" Ren sighed.

"What about her face?" Oscar asked "She's absolutely stunning to boot!"

"Oscar!" the girls all stared at him in shock.

"What? I'm a guy, can't I appreciate beauty when I see it?" he asked confused.

"Only if you appreciate all of it" Nora answered gesturing between her and the rest of team RWBY making everyone laugh.

"Thanks everyone for trying to help but... I really don't think there's someone out there who's gonna be able to deal with my... mood swings"

"She admits it!" Ruby shouted triumphantly "Finally!" Yang punched her in the arm "Ow!"

Qrow sat down next to his niece slinging his arm around her shoulder "Listen, kid. If a guy can't get past that arm of yours then you shouldn't even waste your time on him, but anyone who is worth the time of day, won't even care about the arm. It's you they're dating after all, not your arm" he smiled down at her.

"But what about-"

"Yang" Qrow's expression became stern "You've been stopping yourself from pursuing anything because you felt you were too busy raising Ruby, that didn't stop when you both started attending Beacon together. I know things seem a bit hectic right now, but if you really have these types of feelings for someone... you shouldn't keep them to yourself. You never know when they might feel the same way" Yang looked up at him with a small smile on her face.

"Thanks, Uncle Qrow" he smiled back at her.

"That being said, you and Ruby are going to be single forever. I don't think Tai and I could handle the stress of you both dating"

"Uncle Qrow!"

"Not fair!" Ruby and Yang yelled in unison.

"More for Weiss!" Nora shouted causing the girl in question to flush from embarrassment while the rest of the group laughed.

"Hey now!" Weiss shot back in surprise causing the group to laugh harder. Qrow shook his head with a bright smile on his face at their antics.

Once the laughter died down Ruby turned to Yang "I'm sure Slade doesn't care about the arm anymore than we do. He doesn't seem like the judgmental type. As for your temper, it's honestly not as big of a deal as you might think"

Yang smiled lightly "Maybe, but there is always the possibility" she looked down at her arm in disdain.

"Slade has Salem poking around in his head all the time. She invades his dreams and sporadically sends him visions for no foreseeable reason" Qrow listed off on his fingers "No offense, Yang. But Slade's got you beat, I doubt most woman would be interested knowing he's got a she-devil living in his head... well, sometimes occupying" Qrow explained.

"You're probably right" Yang smiled "What's my arm compared to that right?"

"I honestly think he might prefer your arm over his issue"

"If he can handle Salem jabbering in his ear all the time, dealing with an angry Yang must be nothing in comparison"

"He blames himself" Oscar pointed out surprising the group.

"What?" Yang asked curiously.

"He told me in Argus... I ran away after Jaune accused me of being Ozpin. I was scared I wasn't going to be myself anymore so I ran and hid in an alley away from the house. Slade found me by chance and just talked with me, didn't judge me for leaving and didn't yell at me... he just listened" Oscar stopped looking to Jaune who looked away shamefully "It's alright Jaune, I don't blame you for it" he offered with a small smile. Jaune returned it gratefully.

"What does he blame himself for?" Yang prodded.

"Sorry, sorry... as I was saying, I told Slade about what I was scared of and he assured me no matter what happens from here on out that I will always be Oscar Pine. Slade said he wouldn't allow Ozpin to take my identity away from me if it came down to it" he smiled fondly at the memory "He talked about some of his regrets for not being there to stop what Cinder and Salem did, he blames himself for all the bad things that happened to you guys"

"Slade blames himself... for Beacon?" Yang asked in shock "I never knew..."

"He cannot possibly blame himself for everything that's happened. Slade isn't responsible for the actions of others. Cinder made the decision to attack Beacon herself, Slade being there wouldn't have changed that. Slade might be dead if he had stayed" Blake pointed out.

"Maybe, but he doesn't seem to see it that way" Oscar replied.

"That's a heavy burden to bear" Ren sighed.

"It makes sense..." Qrow rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"Uncle Qrow!" Ruby chastised.

"Woah, hey! I'm not blaming him for what happened, Kiddo. I'm just saying, think of it from his point of view. He left when you all started school instead of sticking around and getting his license. Slade would've been there for the festival tournament because he would've wanted to see you guys fight. There's no way I wouldn't have introduced you guys to my best friend before the tournament after all. Slade would've backed Yang up when Mercury and Emerald tricked you in the finals and he would've been there during the attack. Slade would've been in the perfect position to stop Yang from losing her arm or Pyrrha from getting killed possibly even both. And with how strong he is, he would've been able to stop the Wyvern with his Semblance long enough for someone else to take it down. Slade had the potential to stop it all... at least that's probably how he sees it right now"

"Wow" Ruby stared in shock "You put a lot of thought into that"

"I used to blame him for not helping us, for abandoning us when we needed him the most. I almost lost both of you that day... I don't know what I would've done if I had lost either or both of you"

"That's never going to happen" Slade's voice called from the stairs, the group all looked to him to see Slade limping his way down the stairs "Once I've fully recovered I can get back into action, Salem won't get the chance" he smirked.

"Slade! You're supposed to be taking it easy!" Yang lectured as she quickly stood for him to sit in her place, she was worried he had heard her confessing her feelings about him.

"I'm fine" he waved off "I walked down a flight of stairs, I didn't jump from the rooftop"

"Just-"

"Try and take it easy" Jaune finished interrupting her "I know you want to help as soon as possible, Slade. But none of us want to see you get yourself killed. Take the time you need before trying to do anything too stressful, we're gonna need you in top shape when the time comes after all"

Slade smirked "You'll have me when I'm ready" he nodded in agreement.

"Well, now that that's sorted out. Once Winter get's back with the food, we're going to call up Ironwood and discuss our options for finding the Winter Maiden" Qrow explained "Slade will be staying here to recover, but someone's going to have to stay behind and look after him"

"I can look after myself just fine on my own-" Slade defended.

"Not if one of Salem's people come knocking. We cannot be sure she doesn't know we're in the city and need to act like she does. If she finds out you're here and injured, she might take the opportunity to take you out or capture you" Qrow explained "That being said, we should have no less than two people-"

"I'll do it" Yang offered "I'm the reason he hurt himself this much to begin with. I can stick around for a few days and make sure he gets better"

"Then I'll help" Blake smiled at her friend "Yang's not the only one who needed help back in Argus. It's the least I can do"

"I should stay too then" Ruby offered "Slade really hurt himself buying me enough time to freeze that Leviathan"

"Then it's decided" Qrow chuckled "Yang, Blake, and Ruby will stay behind to make sure Slade recovers properly and isn't harmed while we're away. We could always only be gone for a couple of hours or we could be gone for a few days searching"

"Should I stick around then?" Jaune asked "Slade might need to be seen to while you're gone"

"They're gonna need you in the field, Jaune" Slade waved off "I'll be fine. Especially with the three of them looking after me" he smiled at him "Don't worry about me"

"Agreed. If we run into any trouble, we're gonna need our "Idea guy" Qrow laughed.

"So glad you agree... best friend" Slade smirked in Qrow's direction.

Qrow's hand rose to argue, but he stopped himself with a small shake of his head "How much of that did you hear anyway?"

"Only the tail end of it, something about me being your best friend and how much you loved having me around"

"I'm never gonna live that down am I?"

"Not likely, bird boy" Slade laughed.

The door was suddenly opened with Winter entering with three bags in her hands "I'm back-" she started to call only to notice everyone in the room with her "Oh, I didn't know you were all here"

"Maria isn't" Qrow chuckled.

"I'll get her" Weiss offered standing from her place and going upstairs to fetch her.

"I imagine you've come up with a plan by now?" Winter asked Qrow setting down the bags.

"The start of one, perhaps" he answered "Let's eat first, then we'll talk about it"

The group grabbed boxes of food from the bag, passing each one around so everyone could take what they wanted as Weiss and Maria joined doing the same with their boxes. Everyone settled into place as they ate, talking with one another and laughing as they used to back in Beacon. Qrow and Winter smiled at them fondly while Maria and Oscar joined in. Slade stared down at his food but didn't begin eating until his stomach growled loudly, causing a few laughs from the group.

"Guess you're really hungry" Nora laughed.

"You're going to need a lot of energy to recover from those injuries. Might as well eat up" Ren agreed.

Slade just shook his head with a small smile "Thank you so much for everyone's concern, but I am going to be fine. Just need a good nights rest, a hot meal and possibly some strong pain killers" he listed off as he took food from the many open boxes around the table.

"Hey, Slade" Yang called curiously "What was it you were trying to tell me before, when you woke up on the floor out of breath?" she asked.

Slade looked up at her in mild confusion trying to recall what she was talking about, suddenly an image passed through his mind sparking his memory "Oh!" he looked to Winter and Qrow urgently "I've got some bad news"

"What is it?" Qrow asked curiously.

"Can't be worse than losing the Winter Maiden" Winter shrugged "Lay it on us"

"Salem has a list of names and addresses here in Atlas. They're all Huntsmen"

Qrow stopped midbite to stare in shock "She what!?"

"How would she even have that?" Winter asked confused "There is no such list anywhere in the Atlas database"

"Likely it's been put together by one of her lackeys here in the city" Qrow sighed "What exactly did you see Slade?"

"The list" Slade answered "But it was definitely Salem holding it, there were several more pages behind it but that page seemed out of place in the file in her hand"

"Do you know if this is something that's going to happen or maybe it's already happened?" Ruby asked.

"There's no way to know for sure, but we have to assume she knows where every Huntsman in the city is right now"

"I'll report this to the General right away" Winter stood and walked out of the room.

"You probably just saved us a whole load of trouble" Qrow sighed "It's concerning she'd have that list to begin with"

"Yeah, I'm interested in what the rest of the file had to say in it. That single page didn't match the others lined up behind it, like that page was fresher, newer or something"

"Did you see the file?" Qrow asked.

"It looked like one of those briefings I would get whenever Ironwood hired me for a job, but it didn't have the Atlas symbol on it"

"What did it have?" Weiss asked.

"It was a black heart with a red trim outlining it, the heart popped off the page almost into the shape of a skull inside the heart. The skull had a small white symbol on the base of it, a white cross with daggers for edges and the base was an upside-down heart leading up into the rest of the cross" he explained as he took a nearby napkin to draw the symbol from memory.

"Strange..." Qrow rubbed his chin thoughtfully as he inspected the symbol "I've never heard of a symbol like that before... It's doesn't seem like a very nice symbol though. Maybe some off the books project or criminal organization working here in Atlas?" he wondered aloud.

"Unlikely to be a gang or crime syndicate of any kind here in Atlas, Ironwood had me root out the criminal underworld here four or five months while I was running jobs for Roman and Taurus. If it was any of them, I'd have seen it before"

"Whatever it is, it can't be good if Salem has it" Ruby sighed.

"Yeah, we should start looking for the Maiden as soon as possible. The sooner we lock this relic away the better I'll feel" he agreed.

* * *

 **That's all for now! I'm working on Chapter Seventeen as even now, so keep an eye out for it. Thank you guys once again.**


	17. One Thing

**Hey guys! Sorry for the wait, I've been doing an extensive bit of rewriting to the path this story is taking. I haven't removed anything, just switching around the order of events per say. I have also come to the decision that rushing myself with unnecessary deadlines to keep chapters churning out week after week isn't the best approach for me right now, so I am just going to be writing in my spare time and publish chapters when I finish them. Hopefully that will make the story better for it. Thanks for reading, I hope you like it.**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing!**

"Speech"

 _Thoughts_

* * *

 **Chapter Seventeen: One Thing**

Ruby entered the basement with a small tray in her hand, the tray held a glass of juice, a bottle of water and a plate with eggs, bacon and toast steaming as she made her way down the steps. The sound of a punching bag being used reverberated throughout the room. Looking up she found Yang furiously beating the punching bag with an angry expression on her face. Tilting her head with mild concern she called out to her sister "Yang! Breakfast is ready!"

Yang turned to Ruby abruptly, surprised by her presence "Sorry, Ruby. I didn't hear you come in"

"Probably because you're kicking the stuffing out of that punching bag" Ruby giggled "Are you okay? You seem on edge"

"Of course I'm one edge, aren't you?" Yang asked as she sat down next to her sister gulping down the water quickly.

"Because we haven't found the Winter Maiden yet?"

"Yeah, and we don't even know if someone is hunting Slade or not" she sighed "Salem probably isn't too happy about him joining our side over hers right now and she supposedly has a list of Huntsmen here in the city!"

"You're just worried about Slade again aren't you?" Ruby asked with a knowing smile "I see through your cover, Yang" she said in a melodic tone, hugging her sister.

"Whatever" Yang shrugged her off "How's he doing by the way? I haven't seen him since last night, any improvement?"

"Blake says he's doing a lot better, he was able to get downstairs all on his own this morning without help"

"He did that yesterday" Yang pointed out confused.

"Yeah but yesterday Blake could hear his pained groans as he made each step. Slade's fine doing it on his own today, no pain whatsoever"

"Well... That is good to hear" Yang sighed in relief.

"Yeah, next thing you know, Slade's gonna be down here sparring with you or out in the field with the others!" Ruby grinned excitedly.

"Don't get ahead of yourself, Ruby" Yang laughed "Slade's still got a ways to go before he's ready to be out in the field"

"Did Slade ever tell you what exactly made him that injured?" Ruby asked "I saw him go flying because of Cordovin but never knew how he broke all those ribs. It wasn't in his fight with Adam was it?"

Yang shook her head "Adam didn't even have the chance to do all that much to him. Slade must've gotten hurt during his fall. Though absorbing Adam's Semblance probably didn't do much good for him, and using his own Semblance to stop the Leviathan was just way too much on his body"

"That would make sense..."

"Something wrong?" Yang asked noticing her sister's hesitance.

"It just seems like he got more wounds than normal for someone who crashed through the treetops the way he did, wouldn't he have just passed through the trees with his Semblance? Besides that I don't actually know the full extent of what Adam's Semblance could've done to his body when he absorbed it, we don't even know what his own Semblance did to him that could've made it worse"

"Maybe we'll just have to ask him or Uncle Qrow about it" Yang offered "I'm sure one of them would know"

"Slade?" Blake's voice called as she entered the room "Hey, Yang, Ruby" she greeted "Have you seen Slade around?"

"He's not with you!?" Yang asked in alarm standing abruptly.

"I just saw him a moment ago, I put something away in the fridge and he was suddenly gone" Blake answered as Yang sprinted by her, rushing upstairs.

"Check outside!" Ruby called as she stood from her place on the floor next to Yang's previous position.

Blake and Ruby both followed Yang outside to find Slade sitting calmly in a chair right on the porch "Good morning" he waved lightly.

"You just scared the crap out of us!" Yang yelled annoyed "You can't just run off like that!"

"I walked outside and sat down, relax" Slade waved her off "It's not like I'm a toddler that needs supervision every waking moment. I can manage to take care of myself just fine without you looming over my shoulder like I'm gonna break something"

"Yang" Blake called her attention "I know you were just worried, but Slade's right. We're here to help him if he needs it and to make sure he doesn't overdo it"

"Yeah, Sis. Don't blow a gasket over nothing" Ruby agreed.

"I... I... You're right" she sighed "I'm sorry, Slade. I'm just concerned you're gonna hurt yourself if you're not careful"

"I understand, Yang" he chuckled "But I'm fine, just give me another two days and I'll be in tiptop shape"

"That's good to hear" a voice said from beside them "I would hate for you to hurt yourself, Slade. You should take all the time you need" the group turned to find Tyrian staring back at them with a devilish grin, he had a brown leather jacket on over his normal attire and his new metal scorpion tale was wrapped around his waist, looking more like an odd belt than an actual tail to the untrained eye.

"You!" Ruby removed Crescent Rose from her back and fired at his head, his metallic stinger came out from the front of his coat blocking the round as his smile grew.

"Oh, Wow! Very nice, full marks" Tyrian clapped slowly as his tail returned to the inside of his coat.

"Go away!" Yang growled as Ember Celica covered her arm, aiming it toward Tyrian.

"What're you doing here?" Blake asked dropping into a defensive stance between Slade and Tyrian.

"Tyrian Callows, it's been awhile" Slade's eyes narrowed, his hand hovering over Defiance, Tyrian's devilish grin unsettling him.

"This is the guy we ran into with Uncle Qrow, he poisoned him before we reached Mistral" Ruby warned "Be careful with him, he's no joke"

"Don't start a fight if he doesn't first" Slade added "He's got a nasty habit of causing collateral damage"

"Aw, that altruism makes me feel all warm inside" he chuckled, his grin widening as he stared at Slade "Guess pure intentions don't come with an insurance policy" he laughed hysterically referring to Slade's condition, Slade growled.

"Just say what you mean or get out of our hair before I kick your scrawny ass all over the front yard" Yang warned.

"Oh, but I did though" Tyrian laughed "No good will ever come from putting other people first, Slade" he gestured toward him "That's the only reason you're even in this mess isn't it?"

"I don't regret putting my life on the line to keep my friends safe, not that you'd understand something like that" Slade replied.

"You've got good friends though" Tyrian chuckled "Not everyone is so lucky as to have friends and family repeatedly dying in their place all the time" Slade's eyes widened in shock, his fist closed around the chair arm as his anger boiled over.

"What would you know!? Blake asked angrily.

"Yeah, you weren't even there!" Ruby agreed. Yang was struggling to reel in her anger, her eyes flashing red.

"I don't admire one guy leaping into danger if it means someone else might have to jump in to save him. You'll just end up being dragged under in the end" Tyrian laughed "That's what happened with Elise isn't it?" he asked cackling wildly at Slade's expression of pure rage.

"We-" Ruby began but was interrupted.

"Spare me the usual party line" Tyrian sighed "Yes, people are more powerful when they fight together, but you'll notice... it didn't do you any good at Beacon now did it?" he smirked.

"You son of a-" Yang started.

"Ah-ah-ah" Tyrian wagged his finger at her "Let's keep this civil" he turned toward Slade "I was just here to make sure our dear friend wasn't hurt too badly, we would hate to see you unable to join us when the time comes"

"Salem's truly demented if she thinks I am ever going to join her" Slade growled.

Tyrian's grin disappeared at the insult, his eyes flashing purple "DON'T YOU-" he stopped himself, reeling in his anger "Find the Winter Maiden, Slade. The time will come when you deliver the relics in this city to her"

"Why would I ever take any advice you have to offer?" Slade asked crossing his arms.

"As if you have any other choice but to follow this sweet little trail of breadcrumbs" he laughed as he turned away from the group he began walking away as his eyes returned to normal "In the end you'll finally realize what destiny has in store for you. In fact, your reward might be just around the corner" he turned his head back toward Slade chuckling lightly with a grin as he held out a small file with the symbol Slade saw from before "You're so close!" he began cackling wildly as he continued to walk away.

"That file!" Slade gasped in shock.

"That's the one from your vision right?" Blake asked noticing the matching symbol.

"Stop!" Ruby shouted launching herself forward with Crescent Rose as Tyrian's laughter grew louder. Tyrian was enveloped in a black oval before it quickly vanished leaving nothing behind in it's place just as Ruby struck his position "Darn it!"

"So they did already have it" Yang sighed "They're always one step ahead of us!" she punched the wall in anger.

"Don't let him get to you, Yang. If they really were ahead of the game, they wouldn't come out here just to taunt us. They want us to think they hold all the cards" Slade assured her.

"Yeah, he's just trying to get under your skin because he thinks he can. But we're gonna show him how wrong he is" Blake agreed.

"Yeah, we'll show him that our sacrifices and the sacrifices our friends have made for us, haven't been for nothing" Ruby nodded in agreement.

"We're already proof enough of that" Slade chuckled.

"We're a team! When we're all together, there isn't anything we can't accomplish!" Ruby pumped her fist into the air encouragingly.

Yang turned to her friends "Yeah" she smiled "You're right" the group moved inside, all of them wondering what could be in store for them next "Is anyone else concerned about how he just disappeared like that?" Yang asked "Did he teleport or was it something else?"

"Tyrian definitely wasn't there anymore" Slade sighed sitting down onto the couch exhausted "That's not his Semblance if that's what you're asking, it's got to be something Salem did to him. She's able to distribute her power just like Ozpin. The only difference is the power returns to Salem when her followers die. Ozpin's power didn't know where to go since he reincarnates so many times"

"So that's why the Maiden's have been around for so long" Blake concluded.

"How do you know all of this?" Ruby asked Slade curiously.

Slade looked momentarily surprised, but masked it quickly "Let's just say I spent more time with Cinder Fall than I would've liked. You tend to pick up a thing or two"

"That makes sense" Yang rubbed her chin thoughtfully.

"We need to call someone" Blake plopped down next to Slade "If someone like that can just teleport in and out of places, no one is safe"

"Call Qrow" Slade ordered "We need to warn the others. I'm going to call Ironwood" he explained removing his scroll and making a call.

"We're on it" Ruby nodded with a determined look as she did the same. It wasn't long before Ironwood answered.

"Slade, I wasn't expecting to hear from you. How's your recovery going?" Ironwood asked trying to be considerate.

"Let's cut the bullshit General, you don't actually care. I have important news"

"What is it?"

"Tyrian Callows is here in Atlas"

Slade was met with silence "You have my attention"

* * *

"No way!" Emerald shouted in disbelief "It's too soon! You can't seriously want me to get rid of her!" she argued.

"It's an order" Hazel's brow furrowed "Why do you hesitate? Tyrian himself has ruthlessly destroyed anyone who betrayed us and our organization. Are you not committed to our cause?" he asked accusingly.

"But it's not like that, Cinder didn't betray us! She can't come back as easily as we could!" Emerald desperately tried to change their minds.

"If she doesn't, you know what you must do. Or you will face the consequences as well" he warned just as Tyrian's tail embedded into the chair beside Emerald's head.

"I wouldn't question-" he stopped as Salem raised her hand indicating them to back off. Tyrian's tail moved back into place as he stood up straight. Emerald never once flinched. Salem silently held out her hand toward Emerald as a black orb formed onto her hand, streams of black lightning erupted from it but never got very far from her hand before twisting around back into the dark orb.

"You're gonna turn her into one of them?" Mercury asked in shock "But-"

"Fine... I'll do it, if that's what you really want" Emerald sighed.

"I don't want you to kill Cinder" Salem assured her lowering her hand as the orb disappeared "But I want you to remember who is in charge here" she glared narrowing her eyes "If you ever talk to me like that again you will not get the chance to regret it. Am I understood?"

"Y-yes of course" she bowed her head lightly "My apologies"

"I want you to track down Cinder and watch her carefully, do not allow her to become aware of your presence by any means necessary. I want to see what she does with her newfound freedom... will she attempt to regain my favor? Or will she simply try and pursue her own selfish desires?"

"I will begin immediately" Emerald stood from her place.

"Go" Salem waved her hand dismissively "Just remember, I will be watching. Always" Emerald nodded before disappearing in the same manner as Tyrian had appeared previously "Report" she ordered looking to Tyrian.

"I passed on the message as you desired" Tyrian answered tossing the file onto the tabletop.

"Good" Salem grinned "Not only do we have the power to inflict pain, we also have to power to plant seeds of doubt into the hearts of the people. That's how we keep power from humanity's leaders"

"Of course" Tyrian laughed lightly.

"I need Slade to doubt himself, to hesitate, I need his rage. Once we show him the truth of his past, removing the veil he's been spoon-fed his entire life by those closest to him. Slade is going to pave the way for the future we desire... a future where all of our goals are achieved and humanity finally knows lasting peace"

"Slade will soon begin to doubt himself. It will cause him to hesitate and that hesitation will infuriate him. That rage is precisely what I require from him, once he is properly enraged we will show him the truth of his past and not the one he has been spoon-fed his entire life. Slade will pave the way for the future I desire, a future where all of our goals are achieved and humanity can finally know peace"

"There's something I meant to ask" Tyrian spoke sitting down in his usual spot at the table.

"About Adam Taurus?" she asked "He's dead"

"What?!" Mercury and Hazel asked in shock "How could you know that? How did he-" Mercury continued.

"Adam attacked his old flame in Argus just before our attack began and the blonde one came to help. Slade arrived late into the fight but helped shift it into their favor just before they collectively delivered the finishing blow" Salem explained.

"So he's really gone then" Tyrian smirked "That wasn't my question though... what do you plan to do about Cinder? From what Watts has gathered she doesn't seem to be returning to us, she's gone off on her own to Atlas with Torchwick's old associate"

"Cinder deserves nothing more than our pity" Salem answered "Whether or not she decides to return to us or pursue her own aims. She can still be of use to us, and I plan to take full advantage of her usefulness before our plans for Atlas begin in earnest"

"And when that usefulness has ended?" Mercury asked, he received a menacing smile from Salem "Right..."

* * *

Cinder sat down beside Neo currently piloting the Mistral airship disguised as an Atlas airship.

"How close are we?" Cinder asked, Neo turned to look at her with an annoyed expression "Right..." she chuckled lightly. Neo shook her head in annoyance.

The was a long silence between the two of them as they continued to soar through the clouds toward Atlas "So... Neo" Cinder turned to look at her, Neo's annoyed expression returned as she looked at Cinder with an expression that said "What could you possibly need now?"

"I know you're not much for conversation, but I need you to answer something for me" Neo's head cocked slightly in question.

"You and I both know Ruby Rose is the one responsible for killing Roman... but are you aware that Slade Stroud is traveling with them?" she asked earning a shocked expression from Neo.

"That's right. Slade's apparently been helping them, and he was supposed to be Roman's friend right? Why would someone travel around with someone who killed a friend of yours?" she asked turning away from Neo, hiding a wicked grin.

"I suppose it's always possible he just doesn't know about what she's done to Roman, but what if he is fully aware? Would you be able to kill your old friend just to get to Roman's killer?" she asked.

Neo looked down sadly as she thought back to working with Slade over the past year before he left, all the close calls, the times he had her back, Roman's back... and the times she had his. Neo looked back up in front of her with a look of determination in her eyes.

"Good. That's all I needed to know" Cinder grinned.

"Unidentified aircraft, this is Atlas Air Control. Please state your name and clearance code, you don't have a scheduled flight into Atlas at this time" came through their radio as two Atlas aircrafts hovered behind them ready to attack if needed.

"Looks like we have company" Cinder chuckled "Let's take care of them shall we?" she stood from her place and walked to the back as the side doors both opened.

"Unidentified aircraft this is your final warning, respond or we will use lethal force-" Cinder extended her hands outward toward the aircrafts launching a powerful energy beam imbued with fire from each hand destroying them easily. The doors closed as she dropped to her knees panting heavily, catching her breath. Once Cinder had recovered she reentered the cockpit, retaking her seat beside Neo "It won't take long for Ironwood to hear of their disappearance. We need to get as close to the city as we can before they discover us" Neo nodded in understanding.

Cinder chuckled darkly "We're going to have some fun once we reach Atlas. Imagine the look of shock on Slade's face when he sees you again"

Neo frowned, she wanted nothing to do with fighting him. Ruby was her real target, she was the one who killed Roman, she was the one who would pay for taking her life away. Neo was determined to accomplish her goal, no matter who stood in her way.

* * *

Qrow led the group through the city with Winter begrudgingly followed along "What exactly is the plan here, Branwen?" she asked curiously.

"We need to get an airship so we can get out of the city and start searching for the Winter Maiden. If we don't find her soon, we're not gonna be able to secure the relic before one of Salem's lackeys comes and tries to take it from us"

"What makes you think she's not still in the city?"

"Ironwood acted like he didn't know where she was" Jaune pointed out.

"It makes sense that she'd be outside the city if he wasn't aware of her location. Atlas has far too much security for any one person to stay hidden for very long, especially if Ironwood was looking for her" Ren added thoughtfully.

"I suppose you're right. Have we cleared this mission with General Ironwood?" Winter asked.

"Unlike you, I don't have to clear my daily activities with a higher up, Winter. So no, I have not cleared this with Jimmy"

"We're never going to be able to leave if we don't" Winter sighed coming to a stop.

"What do you mean?" Maria asked surprised.

"Atlas is under lockdown, everything is going to be heavily scrutinized right now with what's been going on. There's no way we're going to be able to just grab an airship and head out without clearance" Weiss explained.

"General Ironwood is one big sour puss huh?" Nora asked her arms drooping in disappointment.

"You're not gonna be able to talk your way past air control like Slade did then?" Qrow asked with a knowing smirk.

"No, because I ordered them no to let anyone through without consulting the General first... sorry" Winter reluctantly apologized.

"Great, then we'll just steal one again" Oscar offered.

"Steal one!?" Winter asked incredulously "You may have been able to outsmart Cordovin's security measures, but there's no way you'll get past all of Atlas's-"

"Slade's done it" Weiss pointed out "He told us as much when we talked about stealing the one in Argus"

"During regular procedures, perhaps. But not while the entire city is effectively under lockdown! Curfews are enforced harshly, no one is allowed in or out of the city without proper identification, and most people get checked several times. There's no way you can get anywhere in this city right now without someone like me to wave you through. Even going out to eat right now is a task most people seem to avoid altogether-"

"Ironwood really is putting all these measures into place now of all times?" Qrow asked.

"We were preparing for war. It seems we were right to do so"

"Yeah, but with the wrong people. You were preparing to fight the other kingdoms, not a Grimm invasion. How're you going to protect yourselves against that? Your forces were hacked last time, what makes you think it's going to be any different this time?"

"Professor Watts has been working on a fix for that, if that were ever to happen again, they would do a full system restart once a passcode is spoken to the mech. Every soldier knows that passcode by heart now"

"You thought of everything then" Qrow said sarcastically before he waved her off dismissively, turning to continue.

"Look, Qrow. I know you don't think much of the General, but he's doing his best right now. The same cannot be said for the other leaders of Remnant"

"Maybe" he stopped "Or maybe he's become so paranoid that he can't see who his friends are" he looked back at her over his shoulder.

"Vale was infiltrated and dismantled from the inside, he's making sure that doesn't happen here"

"Agree to disagree-" Qrow stopped as his scroll began ringing, removing it from his pocket he answered "Ruby? Is everything alright?"

"Tyrian Callows is in Atlas and he can teleport" she said in one breath.

"Woah, woah, slow down, kiddo. What do you mean?"

"He came to visit us at the safehouse, he showed off a file with the symbol Slade saw... then he teleported away before anyone could do anything"

"He knew where the safehouse was?" Qrow asked shocked.

"Uncle Qrow... Slade seems pretty shaken up by what Tyrian said, he's playing it off but... we're worried about him"

"Alright, kiddo. Don't worry, I'll go talk to Ironwood and see what we can do about this. Stay safe"

"You too" he hung up, placing the scroll back into his pocket "Change of plans. We're going to see Ironwood"

* * *

Slade sat silently watching the clock on the wall as the hands ticked their way around and around continuously. He sighed deeply, closing his eyes as he did.

"What're we going to do?" Ruby asked breaking Slade from his trance.

"About what?" he asked curiously.

"Tyrian! He had the file you saw and he can just zap his way around anywhere he wants without having to ask permission first. How're we supposed to fight against that?"

"Teleporting cannot be that simple, Ruby" Slade chuckled "Like anything else it has to be controlled by the one using it. They'd probably have to have seen or been to the place they're teleporting to be able to accomplish it. Otherwise they'd already have all the relics by now wouldn't they?"

"That makes sense" Blake agreed "It'd have to work like any other Semblance right? Either emotionally triggered or mentally triggered"

"Yeah..." Ruby looked thoughtfully "Maybe..."

"If that's the case then we probably don't need to worry about them being able to ambush us so long as we don't stay in one place for too long. We're going to have to get another safehouse" Yang explained.

"Yeah, this one has been compromised. Ironwood will have us in another one by tonight. He's lessening the amount of people that know about our transfer and the transfer of the Huntsmen so as not to risk our locations to our enemies"

"What do we do in the meantime?" Ruby asked bored.

"Nothing" Slade answered "Tyrian wants us to mess up, that's why he visited us today. He wanted us to make a mistake so he could take full advantage of it. We need to keep our heads straight right now"

"Yeah, but how can we do that when we have nothing to do?" Blake asked.

"Easy. Your blade was damaged in your fight with Adam right?" Slade asked pointing to Gambol Shroud.

"Yeah, but what does that-"

"Do you know the original design of it? Would you be able to recount it if a professional provided you the materials?"

"Yeah but-"

"Excellent!" Slade tossed her some Lien "There's a store not too far from here that could provide you with what you need. Just let them know Stroud sent you and they'll give you the family and friends discount. If they have a problem, tell them to call me" he smirked.

"I can't possibly accept this, Slade. It's far too kind of you"

"Nonsense" he waved off "We're all friends now, right? My friends get only the best of treatment. Why don't you and Yang go together" he offered.

"It would give us something to get out of the house" Yang agreed "We don't exactly want to be here if Tyrian comes back"

"But what're you going to do?"

"There's bound to be someplace around here we can grab some food" Slade shrugged "I'm sure I can keep myself occupied"

"You're not even fully healed yet, Slade. I'm not going to go off and leave you alone to fix her weapon. It can wait" Yang explained.

"He won't be alone" Ruby assured "I'll be with him every step of the way. It'll be a good way to make sure we're not here and I can help him to ensure he doesn't push himself too hard"

"I don't know..." Yang pondered hesitantly.

"If Tyrian comes back to fight us, you're going to need every advantage you can get. Blake's going to be instantly at a disadvantage with a broken weapon. Would you rather we fight him together at full power or take our chances as we are now? I'm not exactly in any condition to be fighting anyone right now, so it'd be down to the three of you to take him on" Slade explained.

"I'm sure we can manage" Yang argued.

"Against someone that hunts Huntsmen for a living? I don't think so" Slade chuckled "From what I hear, Qrow even had trouble with the guy and he's one of the best around, not to mention my run in with him went less than ideal"

"Fine" Blake relented "We'll go get Gambol Shroud fixed and then meet you wherever you're hanging around when we're done. Just make sure you call us if something happens and don't stray too far from us. The last thing Ruby needs right now, is to go fight someone on her own to protect you in your condition"

"Don't worry, guys" Ruby shot up from her seat "Slade and I will be fine. It's not like we need our hands held all the time. I'm a proper Huntress now after all"

"An unlicensed one" Slade chuckled "I've seen Ruby fight. She's come a long way from the girl I clashed with back in the forests of Anima not so long ago" he smiled proudly "Besides, I'm not exactly defenseless"

"Alright! Alright!" Yang waved off dismissively "We get it, you two will be fine. Just don't make us regret leaving you two alone"

"We'll be fine! Nothing's gonna happen!" Ruby assured with a confident smile.

* * *

Ironwood sat at his desk putting together several booklets together into a file and standing to leave, as he approached the door he stopped. Dropping the file he removed his pistol from it's holster and began systematically searching the room. Noticing there was nothing he sighed deeply "I really am losing it" but the ringing in his ears didn't stop until he left his office with the file in hand. Opening the door into the hallway, he was met with the sight of Qrow and his group approaching him.

"Qrow. I expected you sooner" he smiled.

"Tyrian is in the city-"

"I'm aware, Slade updated me on the situation. I'm securing a new safehouse as we speak and moving the Huntsmen in the city around daily to keep them ahead of their hunter. I've prepared some things for you" he handed Qrow the file in his hand.

"What's this?"

"Papers" he answered "They'll provide you with the clearance to get anywhere in the city without too much hassle from my men. They'll still check your papers just as often as anyone else. But those papers should speed you along so you won't have any trouble"

Qrow passed out the booklets to each of the kids behind him "Thanks, but we have a bigger problem right now"

"The relic, I know. We need to secure it but for that we need the Maiden"

"Do you know where she is?" Nora asked curiously.

"I do" he smiled "She's safe, no to worry. But she's also unware she's the Maiden"

"Huh? You didn't tell her?!" Jaune asked shocked.

"I believed it was more dangerous for her to know. If it becomes necessary she will be informed so she can be properly prepared to defend herself. But if she doesn't know she's the Maiden, our enemies cannot discover it either without her finding out herself"

"You don't think that's a little selfish?" Weiss asked.

"Yeah! I'd want to know if I was gonna have some weird scorpion Faunus come chasing me around all day!" Nora yelled incredulously.

"I hate to admit it, sir. But I'm with them on this one, she'd be safer if she were made aware of the danger she's in" Winter agreed.

"Noted... unfortunately it's not that simple. I cannot just spring this information on her at anytime. I'd be putting her in more danger"

"What makes you say that?" Qrow asked.

"Someone knew about the safehouse I sent you to, and that someone was able to tell Mr. Callows your location without raising any red flags in our system, which means he either has a very high clearance which is impossible during the current security measures or they spoke to him directly. Either way, someone was listening in on us"

"You believe you've been bugged?"

"Yes, but I don't know if it's just my office, my scroll, both, the whole school. It's impossible to say for certain"

"Have you been able to rule anyone out?" Winter asked.

"Everyone currently in this room, with your nieces added to that number along with Ms. Belladonna and Slade"

"How've you cleared Slade?" Winter asked curious.

"Winter" Weiss groaned.

"I know you have reservations about him, Schnee. But rest assured, Slade is not and has never been our enemy"

"You're certain?"

"I am" Ironwood smiled "I know things don't really make sense right now, but I can assure you, we will secure the relic from Haven without involving the Maiden. It will be placed into the highest security vault we have here in Atlas. No one but me has access to the vault. Salem will not be getting that relic"

"I suppose that'll have to do" Qrow sighed "regardless, we need to figure out a plan to stop Tyrian and the Grimm invasion coming to Atlas. No fancy vault is going to mean anything if we don't have control of the city"

"I know, I am having my best analyst look over the possibilities for our best chances at success even given our superior military might. Arthur has a fix for hacked mechs due to Vale's catastrophe and I have plenty of people looking into possible safehouses or hideouts Callows could be using to stay below the radar. His ability to teleport will certainly slow the process... security will have to be kept on high alert at all times"

"Just make sure your men don't stop us too much while we're operating in the city. It's going to make it very difficult if we're getting checked on every corner"

"I'll do my best" Ironwood agreed.


	18. Promise

**Hey guys! I know it's been a little bit since the last chapter, so i figured you deserved to have another one! Hope you guys all like it, and thanks for reading this far, I truly appreciate it!**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing!**

"Speech"

 _Thoughts_

* * *

 **Chapter Eighteen: Promise**

Blake and Yang casually walked the streets of Atlas on their way to the weapons shop to repair Gambol Shroud. Blake was growing uncomfortable with all the stares she was getting from people as she walked. Yang finally sighed in annoyance.

"Ignore them, Blake"

"huh?"

"I know people are staring at you because you're a Faunus. Don't let it bother you. They're just stuck up snobs anyway" she waved off dismissively.

"I-it's not like that, Yang" Blake stopped short, waving her hands in front of her face frantically.

"Really?" Yang asked knowingly crossing her arms in front of her chest.

"Well... I mean it is. But that's not what's bothering me" Blake corrected.

"Then what is?" Yang asked curiously.

Blake sighed, turning to continue walking towards the store "It's Slade"

"What about him?" Yang asked confused "Don't tell me you've got a crush on him too or something"

"Yang! You know that's not it" she laughed punching her in the shoulder lightly with a small laugh.

"Okay, what is it really, Blake?" she asked concerned.

"You all updated me on Slade's past aboard the Argus Limited... but there's just so much I can't wrap my head around"

"Like what?"

"How was he able to lose everyone he loved and not question Ozpin even once? Slade continued to fight with him and follow him unquestioningly until he discovered his lies. Why?"

"I honestly don't know, Blake" Yang answered honestly "I wouldn't be able to keep fighting if Dad and Ruby were killed because of Ozpin, and if you and Weiss were killed too? I don't know what I'd do. I imagine Jaune, Nora and Ren understand what Slade's gone through partly, but..." she stopped, collecting her thoughts before continuing "Try looking at it from his perspective. Slade's parents trusted Ozpin just as much as his sister did. When his family died, the only person he still had was Qrow and he wasn't even family at the time" Yang sighed "I really wish Uncle Qrow would've introduced him to us. We might've been able to be apart of his new family instead of separating us from him"

"He was probably just trying to make sure you and Ruby didn't have to deal with anymore than you already were. I know my parents tried their bests to stop me from fighting their battles or Adam's... but unfortunately I never listened to them. I always knew what was best" she shook her head shamefully "We all make mistakes, I guess"

"Yeah" Yang wiped a stray tear from her eye "Slade's with us now, and from what I can tell. He seems almost... happy"

"Probably because your here" Blake joked nudging her playfully.

"If only" she rolled her eyes with a laugh.

They continued to talk jovially until they finally reached the store they were looking for. Blake and Yang entered together.

"Hello, welcome to-" the store owner stopped dead at the sight in front of him "What do you think _You're_ doing here?" he asked looking right at Blake.

"Excuse me?" Yang asked her eyes flashing red.

"We don't serve her kind around here" he spat "I suggest you look downtown if you want any service"

"We were told you were the best. I really need that right now" Blake tried holding up her broken blade.

"The answer is no. Now get out of my store before I call the authorities"

"She's a Huntress you idiot! It doesn't matter if she's a Faunus, she needs her weapon fixed right!" Yang yelled taking a step closer.

"License" the owner demanded surprising the two of them, Yang sputtered slightly "That's what I thought. Now stop wasting my time and get out"

"But Slade St-"

"Out!"

"Look pal! You're gonna fix this-" Yang yelled but stopped when she heard Blake's scroll ringing. Blake pulled it out, answering it "Slade-" she stopped suddenly. She looked up at the store owner "I-it's for you"

"Me?" he asked confused "I couldn't possibly be interested in anything someone associating with you could-"

"Hello, Mr. Takashi" Slade's voice spoke through on speaker stopping the man dead, he went pale white at his voice.

"M-Mr. Stroud! I wasn't aware it was you-"

"I know" he chuckled "I see you haven't changed much from the last time we met about four months ago. Need I remind you?"

"T-that's not necessary, sir. How can I help you?"

"You can start by helping Ms. Belladonna there with her weapon"

"The Faunus?!" he asked in shock "But they're- I don't think- I cannot serve her-"

"You think I care about your company policy Takashi? Either you fix her weapon for her or I make a call to your wife and see what she has to say about your nightly escapades"

"T-t-that's not necessary. I promise she will get the best service I can provide, despite her heritage"

"Good" Slade's smug grin could practically be heard through his tone "Next time a Faunus walks into your store, I expect you to serve them no matter what, understood?"

"Sir-"

"Free of charge for that matter"

"I cannot possibly-"

"Afford not to? I'm so glad you agree. Now get back to work before I come in there personally"

Blake took the call off speaker "Slade, I can't thank you enough-"

"Don't thank me, Blake" he chuckled "I'm simply making sure my friends are getting the service they deserve. Be sure to tell me if he's not meeting expectations"

"How did you even know he was giving us trouble?" Blake asked confused.

"I have my ways. I called because I knew he'd never serve a Faunus without... the proper motivation" he explained.

They were however unaware that Slade was only a block away at a small diner, he sat at a table in clear view of the store. Providing him the perfect place to watch them enter. Ruby was up at the hostess stand inside getting them menus and a server to come see them outside "Have Yang make sure he knows what'll happen if he doesn't get to work soon" he ended the call leaning back in the seat painfully.

"You doing alright?" Ruby asked sitting down with two cups of tea.

"You're too fast, you know that?" he asked with a small laugh, taking the tea gratefully from her.

"I've been told a time or two that I'm hyperactive" she shrugged with a playful smile.

"That sounds like Weiss all the way"

"You've got that right" Ruby laughed.

"Knew it" he took a sip from his drink.

"Everything go well with Blake and Yang?" she asked curiously.

"Yeah, I made sure the store owner knew it was in his best interest to make sure her weapon is fixed"

"Huh?" Ruby looked at him confused.

"Takashi isn't the type of guy to serve Blake's "kind" if you know what I mean" he made air quotes with his hands.

"You mean Faunus"

He nodded "Most people in this city are bigots" he sighed "Even Winter and Weiss I'm sure. Though it seems Weiss was able to move past it. Winter only seems to be politely not showing her distaste for Blake because she knows she's a friend of Weiss"

"What about Ironwood?"

"I don't think he cares all that much" he shrugged "He seems more like Ozpin than many people would think. He cares about doing the right thing, even if sometimes he doesn't look like it"

"I know what that's like" Ruby sighed.

"Qrow?" Slade asked curiously.

"Yeah" she looked down into her tea "He's always tried to keep work separate from his home life. Yang and I made that hard on him I guess" she laughed with a small smile "We'd always ask him about his missions when he returned from them. Sometimes he'd talk about them and other times he'd say it was official business and he couldn't talk... but there was a few times where he'd come home and just... he'd drink himself into a coma"

"Sounds like Qrow alright" Slade sighed "Guess he rubbed off on me more than I'd like to admit"

"What do you mean?"

"After I left Beacon, I drank... a lot. That's actually a pretty big understatement as it is. But ironically I haven't had much to drink since deciding to come back and fight with you guys" he smiled up at her "You girls seem to be having a positive affect on me"

"Good!" Ruby laughed. Slade looked down into his drink in disappointment "What is it?" she asked concerned.

"I imagine Qrow probably drank himself into a coma more often than not when it came to dealing with me"

"You mean because of what happened to you family?"

Slade nodded "He blamed himself for being too slow to help Malachite and again with my parents... I don't know about Elise but... he... he did a lot for me that night"

"So I heard" Ruby looked at him with a look of sympathy.

"Elise wasn't around much after becoming a Maiden... I chalked it up to her being on missions all the time and she always came back to visit before her next one, but..." he stopped as the tears began to well up in his eyes "I hadn't had someone actually there for me since my parents died, as much as she tried. Losing her was the breaking point for me"

"I can understand that. Losing Mom was hard, and Pyrrha was close to me as well. But if I lost Yang... I don't know what I'd do. She's always been there for me when I needed her to be, and I tried to be there for her when she needed me. But she always tries to handle things on her own instead of asking for help"

"It's who she is, Ruby" Slade chuckled "Raven abandoned her at a young age and losing your mother only made things harder for your father. Yang stepped in to hold everything together because of it"

"Yeah, I know. That's why she doesn't ever take time for herself"

"What do you mean?" he asked confused.

"Yang's never taken to boys very well. She's not like most girls, y'know" she laughed "Every time a boy liked her, she scared him off before anything could even start between them. The few that tried to stick around she forced to take a hike... I think she didn't feel like she could with having to take care of me all the time"

"What about when you went to Beacon? Surely she knew you were old enough to take care of yourself then, you were her team leader after all"

"I think me going to Beacon the same year as her only made things worse" Ruby sighed "She finally had a chance to be away from me and Dad and focus on herself, but I got accepted early because Ozpin saw me fight off some robbers working with Roman Torchwick"

"Roman?" Slade asked "You fought Roman?"

"Yeah, he got away though. That time anyway... anyway, Yang never allowed herself a boy during the year we were there. Weiss and Neptune started dating not long after Sun and Blake started though not officially of course. I didn't really have anyone to choose from when the dance came around but Yang had boys clamoring at our door to take her to the dance"

"She didn't go with anyone did she?"

"Nope" Ruby popped the p "As always, she didn't feel she could focus on dating if she had to take care of me" she looked down shamefully.

"It's not your fault, Ruby. I know Yang doesn't blame you for needing her, if anything it's Raven's fault she was in that position to begin with. Even your own mother is partly at fault, though I understand not intentionally"

"Yeah" Ruby sighed "Maybe you're right" she smiled up at him "Mom only ever did what she thought was right, but I guess sometimes what's right for everyone and what's right for your family aren't always the same thing"

"They usually aren't, but that's the job" Slade sighed, reaching into his jacket he removed a small zippo lighter, staring down at it with a look of sadness. Looking up he saw someone staring at them from across the street. It suddenly began pouring, the tarp above them keeping Slade and Ruby dry from the sudden downpour.

"What the heck!?" Ruby asked in shock as she looked around just as the rain started "I don't remember rain being on the forecast"

Slade stared at the one watching them in shock, it was Neo with Roman's hat on her head and her umbrella closed in her right hand directed behind her but she looked different. She wore a brown jacket that ends just below her shoulders and above her chest and has pink trimmings on top and is pink on the inside, two brown belt shoulder straps, a gray scarf similar to Roman's, and a vest, gloves, a belt, pants and heeled shoes of a matching white color. Her white vest stopped above her abdomen, showing off her stomach clearly. Neo looked sadly at him before turning her head down away, pulling the hat down lower over her face. Even in the rain it was clear tears were streaming from her eyes.

"Slade?" Ruby called gaining his attention.

"Yeah?" he asked turning to look at her.

"Are you okay? You just zoned out suddenly"

"Yeah, I just-" Slade turned back to see Neo had vanished "I thought I saw someone I knew... where's our server?" Slade asked curiously as he turned to look at the door.

"I told them to wait since we'd have two friends joining us. Figured we could wait for Blake and Yang before we eat right?"

"I guess that makes sense" he took another sip from his tea.

"So... you and Roman. Did you fight often?"

"Only a few times. He didn't really seem that thrilled to be working for Cinder but I guess he kept doing it nonetheless" she answered.

"Oh"

"Qrow said you worked with him after leaving Beacon and becoming a Bounty Hunter right?"

"Roman's actually the one who got me started Bounty Hunting. I bought a bike similar to Yang's when I left and drove out as far as I could before I needed gas. I stopped and bought a lot of alcohol… I was pretty smashed by the time I decided to head back out. There were several bandits there trying to strip it for parts, in my drunken state my Semblance wasn't working quite so well, but I managed to fend them off at the expense of the bike" he sighed "It was such a beautiful one too"

Slade paused and thought back to his first meeting with Roman and Neo with a small smile on his face "Roman watched the fight and asked me if I was employed, he offered me an opportunity to work with him and still take down bad guys like a "proper Huntsman" he laughed "Some of the jobs I took were anything but, let me tell you... but Roman, Neo and I... we were pretty inseparable… for awhile anyway" he looked down at the table, taking a small sip of his tea.

"Roman and I had a good deal going. He helped me build my reputation as a Bounty Hunter, and I helped him establish himself in his... "Business" Slade made air quotes "I stopped working with him not long before the attack on Beacon.

"Really?"

"Yeah. Roman had me work with people like Cinder, and Adam Taurus on occasion as a favor and not an official job while he was stealing dust in Vale. This was before Ironwood had hired me to weed out the criminal underground in this kingdom, I managed to score plenty of other high profile jobs in Vacuo and Mistral, but I mostly stayed away from Vale after taking down Roman's competition... one day I went on a job with Roman, Taurus, Cinder and her entourage. The job was simple, locate and capture the target. However once we arrived at the town, the White Fang had taken over and captured all of the civilians. Cinder interrogated and tortured the mayor of the town whom I later discovered was her father. She ordered the civilians to be executed, I stopped it... that's when I left. I left it all behind, then I heard about Roman's death"

"Unfortunately, yeah. Torchwick didn't seem like all that bad of a guy, just someone who was scared" Ruby sighed thinking back on her fights with him.

"He definitely was scared, and he wasn't a bad guy... he just certainly wasn't a good one" Slade sighed "Do you know what happened to Neo?"

"His partner?" Ruby asked "I don't know. After the attack on Beacon no one's seen or heard from her"

"Well you wouldn't hear from her" Slade chuckled "She's mute"

"Well that explains why she never talked!" Ruby shouted in realization.

Slade laughed "Neo is the physical representation of "Show don't tell" mostly because she can't tell but damn she can sure as hell show"

"She was very skilled, I'll give her that"

"Neo's taught me sign language and a few other tricks. Mostly fighting dirty" he chuckled "She was a good teacher for someone who never spoke"

"You sound like you miss her"

"I do" Slade sighed "Roman and Neo were... friends. As close as friends as I could ask for after leaving Ozpin. They never kept anything from me, even when they easily could've"

"The way you talk about them, they sound almost nice" Ruby laughed.

"Not exactly how I'd put it, but they were there for me when I needed someone. That's more than I can say for some people"

The two remained silent, Ruby looked down at her waist seeing the relic still sitting in it's place "Ugh, I am so tired of carrying this thing around all the time" she groaned.

"Then stop" Slade laughed "I can carry it for you if you'd like, or either Yang or Blake could. We could take turns" he chuckled.

"You don't mind?" Ruby asked.

"What's a little extra weight around the waist?" Slade shrugged. Ruby handed him the relic and he attached it to his belt as she had prior "See? Fits snugly"

"You don't think it's heavy?" she asked somewhat surprised.

"It's heavier than it looks, I'll give you that. But it is also carrying an entire person in there" he smirked.

Ruby's head hit the table in front of her "I cannot believe I didn't think about that"

"Wasted opportunity that" he laughed.

"Hey guys!" Yang called as she and Blake approached with her newly constructed weapon.

"Yang, Blake!" Ruby called getting up and tackling them into a hug.

"Woah there, Ruby! We haven't even been gone for an hour" Yang laughed.

"Sounds like Takashi worked fast then" Slade chuckled "Excuse me for not getting up, but..." he gestured to the massive bandage around his abdomen.

"You're fine" Blake laughed "Thank you, Slade. I really appreciate you doing this for me. I'm amazed he was able to finish it so quickly!"

"Takashi is the best there is in Atlas" Slade smirked "It helps to give him proper motivation. Think nothing of it, Blake. What're friends for?" he asked.

"I'll go get our server now" Ruby announced as she rushed inside.

Yang shook her head with a smirk as she sat down beside Slade, Blake following suit in the unclaimed chair between Yang and Ruby's chair. Ruby came back outside quickly sitting down "She's on her way out"

"Well?" Slade asked looking to Blake "Are you going to show us the weapon or are we going to have to wait all day!?" he asked.

"Oh, of course!" Blake took out Gambol Shroud to show it's new pristine look, it's design was the same as before, but it looked newer now.

"You'd never know Taurus even broke it" Slade smirked "Glad to see Takashi took my threat seriously.

"He looked like he was going to shit himself when he heard your voice!" Yang laughed "I'm just glad you took care of it and not me. I was about to kick his ass, probably wouldn't have helped us get Blake's weapon fixed though"

"No probably not" Ruby laughed.

"This rain really came out of nowhere didn't it?" Blake asked.

"That's what I said!"

The server finally exited the building out onto the patio "Hi, I'm glad to see everyone is here now" she greeted "Can I get you two started with drinks-" she stopped suddenly when she noticed Blake. No one failed to notice this. Slade placed Defiance onto the table casually.

"Is there a problem, Miss?"

"We have a strict policy against-" she stopped upon noticing the gun.

"Against what?" he asked innocently.

"Against... against Faunus not getting a free drink" she said trying not to anger him.

"Well, isn't that nice" Slade replaced his weapon into it's holster "You can let the owner know I appreciate their commitment to making Faunus feel welcome here"

"I-I'll be sure to let him know"

"Coffee please" Yang said trying to hold back her laughter.

"Would it be possible to get a glass of... milk?" Blake asked somewhat embarrassed.

"Of course, I'll have those both back out to you in just a minute"

Slade looked at Blake with an amused smile "What?" she asked confused.

"You're a cat Faunus and you enjoy milk" he cocked an eyebrow. Blake flushed red from embarrassment "I think it's adorable" he chuckled.

"You sound like Nora" Ruby laughed lightly.

"That was quick" Yang pointed out noticing a server coming out with a cup of coffee and a glass of milk on a tray. The server silently placed the items on the table in front of Yang and Blake "Thank you" they both called back politely.

This server was much shorter than the other one that had come out, she silently nodded to the group but didn't move from her place. She had platinum blonde hair and bright blue eyes along with a small bowler hat on her head. Slade finally looked up at the server having noticed her silence and stared in shock at the woman staring back at him. she winked causing her eyes to change to one pink and one brown, her hair doing the same revealing herself to be "Neo!"

"Huh?" Ruby asked confused.

Neo twisted the server tray in her hand smacking Slade and Yang with it, knocking them both out of their chairs. Kicking the table over onto Blake pinned her and Yang down under it. Dropping the tray she removed her umbrella from behind her back with her opposite hand and placing her open hand onto side of the table, elevating herself over it and kicked Ruby in the chest as she stood up, throwing her onto her back. Neo pushed herself off the table as she removed the blade from the hilt of her umbrella poised to stab Ruby.

Suddenly Neo found she couldn't move just before her blade made contact with Ruby's chest. Looking back angrily she noticed Slade's hand outstretched toward her, trapping her with his Semblance "Augh!" Slade groaned from the pain in his side from having fallen on it. Neo took advantage of this moment to thrust her blade forward. Ruby had just enough time thanks to Slade's intervention to push the blade away from her into the ground next to her. Tucking her legs back, Ruby slammed her boots into Neo's chest, throwing her backward over the table into the rain. Standing up, Ruby removed Crescent Rose from her back, prepared to fight. Yang and Blake finally managed to get the table off of them.

"Slade!" Yang called concerned, rushing to see if he was alright.

Neo leapt over Yang and Slade continuing her assault against Ruby. Blake stepped between them to help, Neo hooked the end of her umbrella around Gambol Shroud planting her hand onto the ground to level herself. Slamming her boot into Blake's knee, forced her to drop before being thrown overhead by Neo's surprising strength for her size. Neo rushed toward Ruby with her blade in hand, stabbing forward. Ruby spun Crescent Rose blocking the blade before slashing for Neo's head. Ducking back away from her strike, Neo slammed her elbow into Ruby's abdomen then struck her umbrella across her face, followed by a swift kick to the chest throwing Ruby onto her back once more.

"Neo stop!" Slade yelled as Yang grabbed her shoulder from behind.

Twisting around, Neo twisted Yang's robotic arm and flipped her onto her stomach before flipping through the air and slamming her leg down onto Yang's back painfully. Blake got back into the action only to be thrown back again by Yang's weapon firing at Neo as she moved only to hit Blake square in the chest. Ruby launched herself backward as she stood back up with Crescent Rose to get some distance between herself and Neo. She didn't get a long reprieve with Neo closing the distance quickly. Ruby continued launching herself backward until she had nowhere to go. Neo slashed for Ruby's abdomen just as Ruby embedded her weapon into the ground balancing herself over Neo, launching herself up the building side.

Neo leapt toward Ruby striking ferociously propelling them both up the side of the building until they reached the roof. Blake and Yang followed not far behind barely keeping pace with the two of them. Slade groaned from his place on the ground, pushing himself up and standing from the table. Slade painfully chased after his friends as he watched them make their way to the building rooftop.

"Son of a..." he groaned as he focused his Semblance. Slade launched himself with tremendous force up to the rooftop in one bound, slightly overshooting it. He crashed into the rooftop painfully as the group continued fighting.

Ruby was barely managing to keep Neo from impaling her on the blade before Blake and Yang stepped in. Neo ducked under the collective strike by Blake and Yang aimed at her backside, planting her hand onto the ground she spun herself around kicking Yang, Blake, and Ruby in the face before placing her second hand in the same manner slamming her boots into Yang's and Blake's face throwing them back. Twisting around she kicked Ruby in the chest pushing her backward painfully before flipping onto her feet again and charging Ruby.

Slashing her blade for Ruby's chest she was surprised when Slade's gauntlet was the only thing blocking the attack "Stay back!" he called to Ruby as Neo angrily pushed with all her strength. Slade placed his other gauntlet underneath his first pushing her backward as he walked. Neo attacked with her umbrella only to find Slade sliding her blade back into the end of it as he blocked with his opposite hand. Twisting around he kicked the umbrella out of her hands onto the ground beside Yang and Blake as they rushed to help.

Neo grabbed Slade's arm and pulled him to the right just as Yang swung her fist toward Neo's back slamming right into Slade's abdomen, causing him to hunch over painfully from the metal arm "Slade!" she wasn't shocked for long as Neo slammed her boots into Yang throwing her back as Blake kicked for Neo's legs, knocking Slade over instead.

"Sorry!" she called rushing after Neo as she charged for Ruby.

"You're not helping!" Slade coughed painfully as he forced himself to his feet through the pain. Blake swung her blade for Neo's head only to miss and get a kick in the face. Using her Semblance, she avoided the attack and struck once more, arcing her blade upward. Neo shattered into glass from the strike before reappearing behind Blake, pulling her by the hair and slamming her into Yang as she approached, knocking them both over.

Slade slid between Ruby and Neo blocking her kick with his own matching one. Ruby used this opportunity to strike at Neo, having the perfect opening. Neo looked shocked, knowing she didn't have a way out of the attack. She was surprised when she felt nothing as she heard the scythe embed into the ground beside her. Looking down she found Slade's hands holding Crescent Rose still so she couldn't attack Neo.

"Slade what're you doing?!" Ruby asked shocked.

"I won't let her hurt you, Ruby. But Neo's my friend too! I can't let her get hurt either"

Neo and Ruby stared in shock at his words, Neo was the first to recover in her anger. Neo slammed her fist into Slade's chest, throwing him aside before attacking Ruby once more. Ruby deflected her kicks with her scythe and countered them with her own attacks, Neo easily dodged around them before countering with her own. Slade blocked Neo's kick with his gauntlet from hitting Ruby, doing the same with his opposite hand with Crescent Rose. Twisting with them in hand, he pulled Ruby to the right, away from Neo and kicked Neo in the chest just hard enough to push her back away from them.

Neo growled in annoyance, she twisted around kicking toward Ruby's face, ignoring Slade's presence. Slade caught Neo's leg in his right hand and Ruby's scythe in his left "Stop this! We can-" Ruby and Neo both kicked Slade in the abdomen pushing him out of the way toward the edge of the building so they could continue their fight. Blake and Yang launched themselves at Neo only to get easily avoided and then kicked once more as she turned around Ruby, forcing her to leap to her left to keep in front of Neo.

Slade started coughing blood into hid hands from overexerting himself and getting pummeled by his friends. Ruby took notice of this as he started to lose consciousness, his bandage clearly showing red "Slade?" she called concerned, realizing what she had done when she kicked him, having forgotten his injury. Neo's brow furrowed slightly "Slade!" Ruby called as he fell backward, going over the edge of the rooftop.

Ruby used her Semblance to chase after him down the side of the building. Catching him in her grasp, she twisted herself around so she would be the one making contact with the ground first and not him "Ruby, Slade!" Yang called rushing to the side with Blake shortly behind her "No!"

They watched as they crashed into the ground, Slade was knocked from Ruby's grip "Ah!" Ruby cried out in pain, her aura sparking from the impact. Neo leapt over Yang and Blake, using her umbrella to gently float down behind Ruby, rushing toward Ruby and Slade.

"Ruby, look out!" Blake called as Yang fired her gauntlet at Neo, she easily dodged it and passed right by Ruby.

"Huh?" They all looked confused as she arrived at Slade. Neo silently went to work unbandaging him and removing his clothes to show his under bandage was completely red with his blood. Neo never hesitated, she caught the newly fired shell from Yang's gauntlet as it fell from the roof, wincing from the heat and rushed back over to Slade. Pressing the shell casing to his wound she cauterized it with the heat from the casing before tossing it away quickly from the pain of holding it, stopping the bleeding. Running her hands up his chest she searched for any broken bones. Finding several broken ribs in the wrong place, she used her strength to force them back into place, snapping Slade back awake from the pain "Augh!" he cried out grabbing his abdomen in pain, but still couldn't breathe.

"Slade!" Yang called rushing down the building to his side. Blake did the same, placing herself between Ruby and Neo to make sure she didn't try anything, Slade stared up at Neo and Yang silently, he tried to speak but no words came out. Neo held up her hand gesturing Yang to back away. Neo placed her ear to his chest, working her way around until she stopped over the right side. Lifting her head up she looked to Yang and gestured for something.

"I don't understand" Yang was flustered. Neo looked exasperated and made a vomiting gesture "He needs to throw up?" Neo shook her head and made a circular motion with her hands as she repeated the vomiting action "Throwing up into a bucket?" Neo nodded profusely "Bucket! You need a bucket!" she yelled in understanding. Yang rushed off as Ruby started to come around.

"What's going on?" Ruby asked.

"I think she's helping Slade" Blake answered still unsure of the girl.

Yang came rushing back with a garbage pale she found nearby "It's all I could find quickly-" Neo shushed her with her hand as she pulled out a scalpel and a pump only slightly larger than the blade. Neo made a small incision on the right side of Slade's chest before stabbing the edge of the pump into it painfully "Mpgh!" Slade groaned. Neo quickly filled the pump with the blood filling his lungs before dumping it into the pale beside her, she followed the same process two more times until Slade's breathing was clearly heard. Neo and Yang both sighed in relief simultaneously.

"Hey... you're not trying to kill each other" he groaned painfully as she stitched the incision she just made with a needle and string she pulled from her pockets "Good thing you're still a walking med-kit" he sighed.

"What the hell were you thinking getting involved with an injury like this? You could've been killed!" Neo signed with an annoyed expression.

"When was the last time that stopped me, Neo?" he let out a pained chuckle.

"You're an idiot" she signed with a shake of her head.

"Uh..." Yang looked between the two of them confused "What am I missing?"

"You don't know sign language" Slade answered "Sister taught me some before I met Neo and she taught me the rest"

"For such a smart guy, you really are stupid" she signed.

"That may be" Slade sat up "But I'm not the one who just shows up out of nowhere and tries to kill your friend"

"She killed Roman" she signed. Slade stared in shock, Neo nodded "I came here to get revenge, I had no idea you would be here when I set out"

"That's not like Ruby at all" Slade shook his head not understanding "She wouldn't just kill someone like that-"

"Kill someone?" Ruby asked confused "I haven't killed anyone in my life"

"Liar!" Neo signed with a angry growl.

"Neo thinks you killed Roman"

"Torchwick?! I didn't kill him! The Grimm did that all on their own!" she shouted defensively.

"That's not possible" Neo signed to Slade "Cinder had full control of the Grimm the whole time, she wouldn't just allow them to kill Roman"

"I don't think you know how controlling the Grimm works, Neo" Slade sighed "Cinder might be able to control them in close proximity, but if she isn't close, they just act off of instinct. Roman wouldn't be any different than anyone else in that situation.

"I'm telling you, she's lying!"

"Ruby... what exactly happened when Roman died"

"I was on the airship he took over during the Fall of Beacon. After I tossed you over the side to give me a fighting chance, I got beaten by Roman pretty easily I'm embarrassed to say. Roman started making some speech about him doing this because he's more concerned with surviving than getting on the bad side of Cinder's boss. While he was distracted by his speechmaking a Griffon landed behind him swallowing him whole in the same action giving him no chance of fighting back. I barely managed to escape it myself as the airship started going down" Ruby explained sadly "I really am sorry he died. I didn't intend for him to die when I went to fight him, I just wanted the Atlas mechs to stop shooting at my friends"

Neo stared in shock at her story "Now do you believe her, Neo?" Slade asked.

"Cinder said she could control the Grimm!" Neo signed angrily.

"Cinder says a lot of things, Neo" Slade sighed "Remember the last time we saw each other? She said no hostages were to be killed, then she turned around and told Adam to kill everyone"

"I remember" Neo nodded solemnly.

"Cinder killed her father, a good man willing to sacrifice himself for someone he didn't even know. Yet she expects people to believe she cares about them. Mercury and Emerald are just like Roman, eventually they'll die fighting the same war for even less noble reasons"

Neo's eyes welled up with tears as she began sobbing, finally letting out her pent up sorrow over Roman's death. Slade embraced her comfortingly "I'm so sorry I wasn't there, Neo. There's a lot of things I wish I could've changed... but Ruby isn't to blame for what happened to Roman"

Neo broke the embrace with an angry expression on her face "I don't blame you for leaving, Slade" she signed "But Roman won't rest easy until his killer is dead. And I don't intend to stop until she is" she turned away from him.

"Neo-" she suddenly vanished with a white flash "Damn" he sighed.

"That was the same girl from the train back in Mountain Glenn" Yang pointed out.

"Yeah, she worked with Roman Torchwick, as you no doubt noticed from how angry she is at his death. I cannot understand why she'd blame Ruby though... she was usually the one who was level headed enough to see underneath lies and bullshit" Slade sighed.

"She's your friend?" Blake asked somewhat confused by that relationship.

"Yeah, Roman, Neo and I worked together a lot after I left Beacon. He left me out of the jobs dealing with Cinder and Taurus back then as much as he could, but they had a leash on him from before we met. I still don't know what Cinder had on him to make him do those horrible things... he robbed people sure but never anyone who couldn't afford to lose it and never did he just kill innocent people because he was paid to do it. That was one of the things I liked about him, he was perfectly capable of shooting a man in the face but would pay for the funeral..."

"When you put it that way, he almost sounds... decent" Yang said with a saddened look on her face.

"I know that wasn't the Roman you knew, but he was a better man than people give him credit for and a better friend than I could've asked for"

The group remained silent unsure what to say about what had happened. "C'mon, we should head back. We never even ordered our food yet" Yang offered, breaking the silence as her stomach growled loudly. The group laughed at this before following.

"Slade? Are you coming?" Yang asked as he never moved from his place.

"Yeah, aren't you hungry?" Ruby asked gesturing to the restaurant across the street they had been at when Neo attacked.

"Yeah... yeah, I'm coming" he turned, solemnly passing by the group toward the restaurant.

"Is he gonna be okay?" Blake asked concerned.

"I don't know, Blake... I can't imagine what he's feeling right now" Yang sighed "Imagine if you had to choose between helping Ruby and helping Weiss when it came down to a fight, and you didn't know if the one you're against would make it out alive" she explained, trying to understand his feelings at the moment.

"Wow... that'd suck" Ruby pointed out.

"Yeah... yeah it does"

* * *

Slade opened the front door to their safehouse entering with Yang, Blake, and Ruby following behind him "Hopefully Ironwood's got something for us for when Qrow gets back. We don't want to be here any longer than necessary"

"Yeah, it's probably for the best that we start packing" Yang agreed.

"I'll check in with Uncle Qrow and see what's going on" Ruby offered.

"No need" he called from behind them as he entered the building. Winter, Weiss, Nora, Ren, Jaune, Maria and Oscar all followed behind him closing the door as they fully entered the room.

"Good, you're back" Blake smiled at the group in relief "After what happened with Tyrian we weren't sure any of you were really safe out there"

"We're probably not" Oscar sighed.

"He's right, if Tyrian can just teleport anywhere he wants to it could be an issue" Jaune agreed.

"Fortunately it's probably not that simple or he would've found Ruby much sooner than he did while we were on our way to Mistral" Qrow explained putting the group at ease.

"Did you-" Ruby began.

"We were attacked" Slade interrupted causing everyone to stare in shock.

"Tyrian?" Qrow asked.

"Neo" Slade sighed.

"Torchwick's accomplice?" Winter asked surprised "No one's seen her since Beacon fell"

"She was the one Yang fought aboard the train right?" Weiss asked recalling her.

"What was she after? The relic?" Oscar asked curiously.

"Me. Dead" Ruby answered.

"What!?" the group shouted in unison.

"She attacked us while we were out fixing Blake's weapon and grabbing a bite to eat" Yang explained "She ignored us and went right for Ruby"

"Might've succeeded if Slade hadn't intervened" Blake pointed out.

"Then it's good Slade was here to help" Maria sighed "I hope you didn't strain yourself too much with your injuries still healing"

"I overdid it a bit but that's Neo for you" he groaned as he took a seat "I wasn't in any condition to be in a fight with anyone let alone her, she's tougher than she looks"

"He's right" Blake agreed.

"She made us look like amateurs today. Barely even focused on fighting Blake and I, just kept going for Ruby. Slade was the only one able to keep with her and he was injured!"

"I do know how she moves though, if I had never fought with her before. I'd probably have gotten my ass handed to me"

"I for one am still glad to have my head" Ruby pointed out.

"Why was she gunning for you? What'd you do to piss her off so much?" Nora asked.

"She thinks I killed Torchwick" Ruby answered with a sigh.

"That makes sense" Ren pondered aloud "She last saw you and him fighting aboard the airship before it went down and Roman died. Were you able to convince her otherwise before she escaped?"

"I'm honestly not sure" Slade answered.

"What do you mean?" Jaune asked confused.

"Slade was injured as you know so when he fought Neo he managed to reopen his wounds-" Blake started.

"He did!? Slade, I have to take a look at you-" Jaune interjected.

"Trust me, he's fine" Ruby laughed.

"Ahem" Blake cleared her throat "As I was saying... Slade went over the edge of the roof and Ruby stopped him from getting any serious injuries from the fall. Neo followed after them and we assumed she was going to kill Ruby, but instead she ignored her when she was completely defenseless to help Slade"

"How'd she help?" Weiss asked.

"She cauterized my wounds, rebroke my ribs back into place so they'd heal properly, and drained the blood filling into my lungs" Slade answered getting shocked expressions from most of the group "She's got advanced medical training" he shrugged.

"Where'd she receive training like that?" Qrow asked curiously.

"Mostly from books, she taught herself. But she got experienced dealing with all the injuries I managed to get over my time as a Bounty Hunter. Roman got his fair share too" he explained.

"Well... is she gonna be a problem?" Winter asked.

"Most definantly, but there's nothing we can do about that. She's working with Cinder, who's also in Atlas it would seem" Yang sighed.

"Great, isn't there any good news today?" Weiss sighed in annoyance.

"What do you mean? Did you find anything on the Maiden?" Ruby asked.

"Not exactly" Ironwood answered from the doorway "I've got a bit of explaining to do" he sighed as he closed the door behind him.

"General Ironwood" Yang looked to Qrow in surprise "I wasn't expecting you to be here too"

"It was necessary. This wasn't something I wanted to share over a call, especially if someone bugged my office and or scroll"

"What is it?" Blake asked curiously.

"Qrow never went out to search for the Maiden because I know where she is"

"What?" Slade asked shocked "Well is she gonna be coming around to seal this relic away anytime soon?"

"She doesn't know she's the Maiden" Qrow sighed.

They stared at them with confusion "She... what?" Yang asked confused.

"The Winter Maiden doesn't know she's a Maiden because I believe her to be safer not knowing, when that changes I will alert her of her... unique condition"

"That's not something you just don't tell someone, what if Salem or Cinder goes after her?"

"No one but me knows who she is, therefore it's impossible for anyone to discover her without me. I made sure not to make any reports or calls about it, so no one knows about her"

"That's... that's not what you came to tell us about is it?" Ruby asked.

Ironwood smiled lightly "Sharp as ever Ms. Rose" he shook his head "No, that's not the reason I came to speak to you all today... Slade, you already know everything I am about to tell you, but it's news to everyone else here. Thank you for keeping this to yourself for this long, I appreciate your professionalism"

"Slade?" Yang asked looking to him surprised.

"Take my criminal record away if you really appreciate that, it certainly didn't help me after Beacon fell"

"I know... I will be sure to do that when I next get the-"

"Tomorrow" Slade insisted.

"Tomorrow" Ironwood agreed.

"What the hell am I missing here?" Yang asked confused.

Ironwood sighed "Allow me to explain" he took a moment to find where to start "When Slade left Beacon he started working with Roman Torchwick and established himself as a renowned Bounty Hunter as you no doubt know... but what you don't know, is the Fall of Beacon could've been prevented... by me" he looked down at the floor dejectedly.

"What!?" Jaune, Yang, Nora and Qrow shouted incredulously.

"Before you ask anything, allow me to fully explain the situation... I know all too well my mistakes and I don't plan on remaking them. After Slade broke away from Torchwick, I sought him out for a very important job..."

* * *

Deep in the forests surrounding Vale, the moon brightly shined down over the land. A hooded figure moved silently through the trees, the figure stopped upon hearing a low growl emanating from behind the figure. An Ursa charged toward the back of the figure only to receive a blade coated in fire slice through it's throat, severing it's head from it's body. The Ursa slumped down to the ground as the blade was sheathed, the figure looked down at the beast before removing the hood revealing herself to be Raven Branwen.

"Grimm are thick these woods now" she sighed "Salem really did a number on this place" she looked up at the moon above her. Her thoughts wandered between Yang, Tai Yang, Qrow and Summer. She shook these thoughts from her mind "It's not my problem anymore" she turned away from the direction of the city of Vale, making her way through the trees once more "It's not my problem anymore... I'm not a Huntress anymore" she repeated to herself barely above a whisper.

The sound of battle could be heard from where she was as the Huntsmen of Vale continued efforts to retake the city from them. The numerous waves of Grimm seemed to never stop for them. Many had already started to lose hope the fighting would ever end.

"..." Raven stopped when she heard a pained cry, she pondered what to do for several minutes before replacing her hood "Maybe... just this once"

* * *

 **Thanks for taking the time to read guys! Hope you all liked it, and stay tuned for more!**


	19. Confessions

**Hey guys! Been working on getting this out for you, when I am not suffering from writers block that is... anyway I hope you all enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing!**

"Speech"

 _Thoughts_

* * *

 **Chapter Nineteen: Confessions**

 **(Several Months Ago)**

"It's a bright sunny day here in Atlas!" the over enthusiastic news caster practically yelled through the television screen "We should expect this kind of weather all week long, but keep your coats ready, because there's gonna be some heavy downpour's early next week. Now onto local news" she continued.

The bar was pretty empty so early in the morning, only about a dozen people inside and a bartender. The door opened and a hooded man entered the bar, he removed his sunglasses as he entered heading straight for the bartender "Hey" he called getting her attention "Bar's closed til 3, the game is on over there" she motioned toward the corner TV tiredly without looking up.

"I'm not really looking for a drink just yet" he chuckled "I was wondering if you had seen this man lately?" he held up a paper with the words "WANTED: Reg Cavett. Wanted For: Smuggling, Grand Theft Auto, Grand Theft, Kidnapping. Approach with caution! Contact the proper authorities, do not attempt to engage. REWARD: $10,000"

"Sorry, haven't seen him" she shrugged.

"Really?" the man asked, he removed a scroll from his pocket, it had a picture of the bartender and the wanted man exiting the bar together "Ringing any bells now, sweetheart?"

"Look I don't want any trouble-"

"You won't be getting any if you just tell me what you know"

She sighed "Alright, alright... I don't know much, he stopped in about a week ago and started buying drinks every which way, ludicrously if you ask me. This guy seemed fun so when he invited me to hangout with him and his friends that night after closing I figured why not, right? Apparently, not"

"What changed?"

"He brought me out to his place, some warehouse where he had a bunch of guys, like maybe a dozen of them. I ended up doing some things I wasn't comfortable with... not by choice... if you know what I mean"

"I do" he scowled "Do you know where?"

"The docks... he's got a warehouse out by the docks where all his guys hangout. They've got a lot of guns"

The man smirked "Yeah well I happen to specialize in taking down people with a lot of guns" he placed a few hundred Lien onto the bar "Thank you for your time, and I'm sorry I didn't get here sooner" he turned to walk out the door.

"Wait" she called after him, the man stopped, turning back slightly "What's your name?"

"Slade" he answered "Slade Stroud" he smirked back at her shocked expression, placing his sunglasses back on "Have yourself a good day now" he exited the bar and several men followed him out the door.

Slade noticed this with a brief sigh, he rounded the corner quickly. The men followed him down the alleyway to find it completely empty "The hell?"

"Where'd he go?"

"You boys lost?" Slade asked from behind them, his mask covering his face and arms crossed over his chest.

"Yeah" the one closest to him laughed "We were looking for some easy money and it was stupid enough to come right to us"

"That right?" Slade asked curiously "And just how much money are we talking?"

"Few hundred thousand" he answered "Someone's sick of you putting people away, lucky for you. They want you alive"

"Who?" Slade asked.

"You don't get to ask the questions around here" the men all drew their firearms "Now you're gonna make this nice and easy-"

"I won't ask again" Slade interrupted the man, he growled at Slade in annoyance.

"Listen, asshole. There's six of us and only one-" Slade removed Defiance from it's holster and fired six shots from his hip, killing the five men behind the leader with headshots and one to the knee of the leader "-Augh!" he screamed dropping his gun and falling to the ground. Slade slowly approached the one remaining man while reloading his weapon. Firing another round into his opposite leg and placing his right boot onto the man's chest he lowered his face down to his.

"You're gonna tell me who wants a meeting with me so damn much he put a bounty on my head"

"I don't know!" he yelled fearfully "Look, man. I took the job and was told a location to drop you once I had you, the cash would be in my account before I walked out the door"

"Where?"

"A warehouse by the docks!"

"Wouldn't happen to be Mr. Cavett's warehouse would it?"

"Cavett? The guy from the wanted poster around town? How the hell should I know?"

"Okay" Slade smirked "You and I are gonna play a little game"

"Please I told you everything I know-"

"I'm not gonna hurt you, buddy. But I am gonna need your clothes"

"Huh?"

* * *

Slade drove the man's truck to the warehouse wearing the man's jacket. The man in question was tied up in the bed of the truck with Slade's cloak over his face and a gag in his mouth to keep him quiet. Stopping the truck in front of the warehouse he waited as a man approached the truck.

"Who're you? What're you doing here?"

"Delivery for a few hundred thousand" he smirked gesturing to the man tied up in the back of the truck.

"No shit, you caught the bastard?"

"Yeah, he put up one hell of a fight though"

"Well go ahead" the man waved him forward as the large warehouse door opened for him.

"Thanks" Slade half waved as he drove on, stopping the truck inside the warehouse he exited the driver seat and pulled the bound man from the back of the truck tossing him onto the ground with a loud groan.

"Augh!"

"Shut up!" Slade kicked him lightly "I caught your man, now I get my money right?" Slade asked.

Several armed men surrounded Slade and the man on the ground as a taller man matching the photo from the wanted poster walked into the lighting with his arms behind his back "So... this is the famed Slade Stroud. I would've thought it take a little longer than this to capture someone this tough" Cavett asked curiously.

"That's why I brought all of my men. He took them all down before I managed to put two in his legs. Slade removed Defiance from it's holster "This gun sure as hell was worth it though, as well as the payment you owe me for delivering, of course"

"Of course" he chuckled "Transfer the man his money" he ordered the man behind him "I've gotta say, maybe I should've made the bounty lower. I honestly didn't think he would go down as easily as he did, he's only been a Bounty Hunter for what, six or seven months at the most?"

"Something like that. I heard he's taken down some pretty big fish though"

"So I heard" Cavett chuckled "His mistake was taking them in alive, if he had killed them we never would've even known who he was"

The man's scroll blipped in his hand indicating the money had been transferred "Thanks for the advice, but I think I'll pass" Slade smirked.

"What?" Cavett asked confused.

Slade flipped over the man behind him slamming his knee into his back, slamming him into the floor painfully. Before they could react he moved to the man to his left, using his right hand he pushed the gun away from himself and grabbed the man by his hair with his left slamming his knee into the man's face as he pulled it down into it. Sweeping his leg to the right he swept the legs out from under the man aiming his gun at him, Slade slammed his left fist into the man's throat as he fell throwing him back into the truck behind him. Twisting around, Slade grabbed the next man by his arm and slammed him into the ground before smashing his right hand into the man's forearm bending it back behind his head painfully.

"Get him!" Cavett yelled as he rushed to get away.

One of Cavett's men charged and attempted to tackle Slade to the ground, Slade flipped over the man and kicked both of his boots into his back as he passed throwing him into the man in front of him. Twisting around, Slade brought his right leg up to smash into another thug's chest, throwing him back several feet before slamming his fist into another's throat choking him. Twisting the choking man around, Slade slammed his boot into his back sending him flying. Turning around as another raised his gun to attack him, Slade grabbed the man by his face and slammed it into the ground.

Cavett was the only man left as he rushed for the door, Slade fired a grappling hook from his gauntlet into his back and pulled him back toward him. Leaping into the air, Slade caught Cavett by his shoulders and flipped backward slamming Cavett chest first into the ground.

A single bullet rang out from behind Slade, he turned to find the man from outside had tried to sneak up behind him and received a bullet for his trouble. Locating the shooter his eyes widened in surprise.

"It's been a long time hasn't it, Mr. Stroud"

"That it has... General" Slade greeted Ironwood as he removed the bounty hunter's jacket and replaced it with his own "I'm surprised you're without an entourage for once. Couldn't let them see you associating with a lowly Bounty Hunter?"

"Not exactly" he chuckled "My escort was ordered to remain outside so I could talk with you privately. Kill any of them?" Ironwood gestured to the men littering the ground.

"Not this time no" Slade smirked. Gesturing to the tied up man he added "The five of his men in the alleyway that came after the bounty on my head however... they're very dead"

"Glad to see you haven't lost your touch, you didn't even use your Semblance. The grappling hook is new"

"I've made some improvements. Cole and Hunter showed me I was underprepared"

"I imagine they did"

"Nice as it is to see you, General. I didn't get the impression you liked me very much, so why are you here. It's no coincidence you show up on one of my jobs is it?"

"No, I've been trying to contact you for weeks but it seems you got a new scroll"

"Yeah well, I didn't exactly want to be contacted by certain people, maybe you should've gotten the memo"

"I'm here to offer you a job"

"I'm not joining the Atlesian Military if that's what you're asking of me"

"I know you're working with Roman Torchwick. He's been involved with several Dust shop robberies since you left"

"As I understand it, he's preparing for a big job"

"He didn't tell you anything about it?"

"I didn't ask"

"I'm asking you to ask"

"The answer's no" he turned back to Cavett laying unconscious.

"Three million"

Slade stopped short "Just to ask?"

"For the whole job. I want you to infiltrate the underworld of Atlas while I am away in Vale. I also want you to find out why Roman Torchwick is stealing all that Dust"

"You want me to spy on my friend so he can be incarcerated for what? Three million and a free pass?"

"I'm open to negotiations if you don't find that satisfactory"

"Five million"

"Done"

"Three free passes"

"Three?" Ironwood asked confused.

"One for me, Torchwick and Neo"

"Neo?"

"She's Roman's partner, and a personal friend. I want a clean slate for them and myself for any crimes committed and five million. Those are my terms"

"That's going to be hard to pull but I believe I can manage it, so long as Mr. Torchwick doesn't start a body count"

"He's no killer, Ironwood. If Roman feels someone needs to die for something, he's scared and someone that can scare him is someone I think we should all be scared of"

"He doesn't scare easy?"

"He's too cocky to scare easy, though I will be honest, he's pretty skilled when it comes to combat for someone with no real combat training. Same goes for Neo"

"You'll do the job though?"

Slade picked up Cavett from the floor and slung him over his shoulder "I'm going to go collect my reward money, I've got a few hundred thousand dollars waiting to be transferred. Then we'll talk"

"The reward for him isn't nearly that high, Slade"

"No, but the bounty he put out on my head is, and I just had it transferred to his account" he gestured to the unconscious bounty hunter tied up on the floor "I plan on collecting. Now would you be so kind as to call your men to come pick up these lovely lads? They have an appointment with the justice system"

Ironwood chuckled as he watched Slade walk off with his prize, he shook his head with an amused smile.

* * *

"Let me get this straight" Slade shook his head in mild disbelief "You want me to infiltrate the underbelly of Atlas's most dangerous criminals for one man?"

"Not just anyone, Slade" Ironwood answered as he took a sip from his cup "The Dragon"

"Yeah, he's got a scary name, I'm sure everyone else does too. I'm just wondering what's so important about this "Dragon" that you're hiring me instead of a Huntsman through official channels" Slade cocked his eyebrow questioningly.

"The Dragon isn't just a regular criminal, Slade. We don't know who he is or what he does, but everyone who works in this city's gangs makes kickbacks to him, 65% of all illegal profits are given to that guy"

"None of them have tried taking him down? Replacing him even?" Slade asked curiously.

"Anyone who speaks out against him or refuses to pay disappears, everyone we've ever arrested that promised information ended up dead before they could talk"

"Then he has connections... most likely someone with high standing in the city" Slade rubbed his chin thoughtfully "I assume you've considered all your other options if you're desperate enough to come to me"

"I have" Ironwood sighed "If I were to start an investigation into every citizen with high enough standing and influence in this city, not only would it be a wild goose chase, but he'd just go underground if we made any progress. Sending a Huntsman after him hasn't worked as I told you before, anyone willing to talk just ends up dead"

"And Bounty Hunter's don't know anything about him or are too frightened to go against him for what you're offering"

"Precisely. But you, Slade... you're not afraid of anyone, and I know you won't just blindly start asking around hoping to get answers like some Bounty Hunters. You're smart enough to blend in"

Slade pondered the proposition for a few moments "Alright, I'll bite. But I am going to need something from you before you leave for Vale"

"What is it?"

"My criminal record, you're going to have to dress it up" Slade answered "Shouldn't be too hard, just consider all of my Bounty Hunting jobs crimes as I technically have committed a lot of theft, assault, and occasional homicide" he smirked.

"Done, I'll put a group of analysts on it tracking your movements since you awoke in the hospital. It might take some time"

"That's fine, I have some research to do" Slade grinned "This job is going to be fun. But just know, I am not going to be following all of your orders all day long. I do this, I do it my way. Which means things are gonna get loud and they're gonna get messy"

"I understand, just try and keep it to a minimum huh?"

"I'll do my best, but as for finding out what Roman's planning. You know I left, how do you expect me to figure out what he's planning?"

"He's your friend as you said, I'm sure he'd take you back"

"It's not him that would be a problem. His boss wouldn't let me near them again since I left"

"That's not going to be a problem will it?" Ironwood asked.

"Not really no, but just a warning, the one Roman works for has already got someone to infiltrate Beacon from one of the other schools. Keep your eyes open while you're there, they could be planning something and I don't know what exactly"

* * *

 **(Several Weeks Later)**

There was a large round table in a warehouse sublevel off of official records so no Atlas security would know to search it if the warehouse was ever compromised. At the table sat several men dressed in nice suits of variating colors along with about two or three guards protecting each of them in case of any violence.

"So... we gonna talk about something or what?" Asked a pale skinned man in a dark brown suit with a matching tie and slicked back black hair.

"What're you talking about?" the man across from him asked surprised, he wore a blue suit with a red and black stripped tie and had a slightly darker complexion than the previous man.

"You didn't set this up? Then who's party is this exactly?" he asked confused.

"I assumed it was you losers, you already rolled over for The Dragon, I figured you were gonna ask us in to work with him as well" the man in a blue suit answered.

"Roll over?" a large muscular bald man with a dark complexion wearing a dark black suit with a red tie asked adjusting his glasses "The Dragon took out six of my men last month. Six!" he yelled slamming his fist onto the table "They were some of my best people" he sighed in disappointment.

"You set this up meet then?" another man asked another with a long blonde beard and shoulder length hair, wearing a light blue suit with no tie.

"Nah, I thought it was the peddlers" he answered gesturing to the man in the deep green suit with dark black glasses and a red bandana on.

"Wasn't my meet" he shrugged.

"To hell with this" the man in the blue suit sighed standing up and adjusting his tie "I'm gone then, if you brain donors want to hang around then that's your call-"

"Sit down, Mahony" a voice called authoritatively "It's my meeting" everyone turned to see a figure concealed in the shadows on the catwalk overlooking the room.

"It's him!"

"The Dragon?"

"We didn't do nothing! I swear!" they all clamored to stand up in fear of the man they called Dragon.

"Well we all know that's a lie" the figure laughed as he stepped into the light a hood and mask covering his face with sunglasses over his eyes and a revolver in his left hand "I'm no Dragon"

"Then who the hell are you?" one of them asked.

"Smoke him!" yelled another as they all drew their weapons and fired at Slade.

Slade chuckled as the bullets simply passed right through him, he aimed the revolver at the table and fired several rounds into it to scare the group into ducking for cover "I said... Sit down!" Slade ordered as he reloaded the weapon.

"You wanna die punk? There's a lot of easier ways to kill yourself!"

"Says the man yelling at the guy holding a gun to your head" Slade smirked underneath his mask, placing his boot up on the bar in front of him he leaned over the edge looking down at them "Listen to me you drug peddling, arms dealing, murdering scum bags. I'm running things from here on out, you're the most prosperous dealers for weapons, drugs, and other contraband in Atlas. That's why The Dragon targeted you first. So I am gonna cut you morons a deal. You go about your daily business as usual, but kick up 40% to me. That's a much sweeter deal than the scraps Dragon is leaving you. In return you will have total protection from Dragon and any Huntsmen who get curious. My only rule, stay away from kids and no dealing in people. No dealing to children, and no kidnapping and selling people for profit, got it? If you do... well let's just say you'll REALLY wish you hadn't"

"Alright crazy man, this all sounds very generous. But why exactly should we listen to you? You could just be all talk-" a large duffle bag was thrown onto the table.

The group hesitated but chose to open the bag, they all stared in shock, some began to vomit from the sight "Damn..."

"Those are the heads of all of your top lieutenants" Slade chuckled "That took me just under two hours. You want to see what I can get done in a whole day?" he holstered his weapon "Make no mistake, I'm not asking you to kick in with me... I'm telling you" the table suddenly splintered violently causing the group to leap to the ground in fear. They all looked up to see the man had vanished.

"40% works for me!" the man in the blue suit said remaining on the ground.

* * *

"Run damn it!" one of the masked men shouted as a group of three sprinted down a dark alleyway. The made it out of the ally and across the street before ducking into a warehouse hiding by the boats docked inside. They all struggled to catch their breath.

"Do you think we lost him?" one of the men asked.

"Yeah, I think we lost him. I think we're good" the second said turning away from the two of them.

"Urk!" the man wiped around at the sound in surprise to find their pursuer standing over him, one of the men in his grip by the throat and the other underfoot.

"No, you're anything but good" Qrow replied as the man in his grip passed out, he released him.

"Stay back!" the man shouted reaching for his gun.

Qrow slammed his fist into the man's face, throwing him to the ground painfully as the weapon slid across the floor. Grabbing the man by his collar, he lifted him over his head and slammed him into the wall behind him "Where's your boss?"

"Boss? We don't work for anyone! I swear!"

"So you just decided on your own to start smuggling illegal narcotics into the city with enough money to buy a warehouse at the docks?" Qrow asked with a knowing look "Just the three of you? I don't think so"

"Alright, so we stole some money before getting set up. I'm telling you, there isn't anyone else above-"

"Lie to me again, and you're gonna spend the rest of your life eating out of a tube" he threatened as he placed Harbinger against his chest, the barrel prepared to fire "I can assure you, I can be a lot less pleasant than I am right now. Start talking!"

"Well, well, well... Qrow Branwen" a man called from behind him "I certainly wasn't expecting to see you here" the man had a thick brown coat on and matching pants, with a beige pair of boots on.

"The man in charge" Qrow smirked, he slammed the hilt of Harbinger against the man's head knocking him unconscious "I gotta say, I was expecting someone more... subtle"

"You mean you were expecting Torchwick" the man chuckled "Sorry to disappoint you, but Roman isn't here"

"I gathered that much, but where exactly is he?"

"Now why would I tell you?" the man asked, a shotgun in hand "You think even if I knew anything about his operations in Vale with that fucking freak show he calls a boss, I would tell a Huntsman?"

"You really don't wanna do this pal"

"You're right, I don't. Unfortunately I wasn't expecting you to be here, so now you have to die before you expose my operation"

"That right?" Qrow smirked "I bet you weren't expecting him either"

"Him? Him who?" he started to turn around but was stopped by a hand on his throat.

"I think he's talking about me" the smuggler was stopped by a metal glove around his throat and a second removing his shotgun from his hand quickly "Oops, did I ruin your moment?"

"You got no idea who you're messing with-"

"Why don't you enlighten us" Tai Yang pointed the shotgun at the man, releasing his throat.

"I ain't saying nothin, I know what happens to people who speak out against Dragon"

"Dragon?" Qrow asked surprise "The boogeyman Ironwood keeps complaining to Oz about? You realize you just told us you work for him right?"

"Nah, man. I don't work for Dragon, I work for the guy looking to take him down. Take his seat at the table, so to speak"

"Give us a name" Tai demanded.

"He didn't give no name, he told us we didn't need to know it. We're expendable he sa-" Tai shot the man in the chest with the shotgun, throwing him back several feet and killing him. Tai dropped the gun immediately, his hands in the air.

"Tai!" Qrow yelled in shock.

"I didn't do that! I didn't even touch the trigger-"

"No, you didn't. I did" a voice called from above them. They both looked up onto the catwalk overlooking the both of them to find a man covered in shadow above his shoulders. It was clear he was wearing a hood though, and the glisten of his eyes indicated he was wearing glasses of some kind.

"What do you mean you did?" Qrow asked looking between Tai and the hooded man "You couldn't have possibly affected Tai's gun unless you-" his eyes widened in shock "It can't be..."

"Qrow?" Tai asked concerned.

"Connecting the dots are we?" the hooded man asked.

"But what're you doing here? You've never been interested in smuggling or power plays? What do you plan on doing when you run the criminal underworld of Atlas?"

"That's not really your concern is it?" the man chuckled "Honestly you shouldn't even be here, you're gonna be needed in Vale a lot more than you're needed here. You wouldn't want anything to happen to Ruby now would you?"

"How the hell do you know my daughter!?" Tai asked clearly agitated by the perceived threat.

"You needn't fear anything from me, I don't wish either of your daughters harm. I cannot say the same for Salem"

"Salem?" Tai asked in shock "How do you know about Salem?"

"Ask Qrow" the man replied coldly "I'm sure he'd love to tell you just how exactly I know about that abomination"

"That's not Ozpin's fault-"

"No more than Summer's fate was yours right?" the man asked shocking Qrow and Tai Yang "I wish I could stay and chat, but I have things to do and you should both go back to Vale, Ozpin's gonna need you to protect it after all"

"Wait!" Qrow leapt up, using Harbinger to reach the catwalk. Grabbing the catwalk, he pulled himself up to flip over the railing as the man rushed away from him.

"Qrow! Hang on-" an explosion tore through the building, throwing Tai Yang out through the side wall and severing the pathway between the hooded man and Qrow, causing the latter to fall back toward the ground. Qrow transformed into his bird form and escaped out the hole Tai made in the wall beforehand. He soared up above the building, hoping to catch even a glimpse of the man escaping.

 _Damn it!_

Qrow returned to Tai to find him pushing the rubble off of himself, his aura protecting him from most of the physical damage "Whoo! That could've been a lot worse" he brushed the dust off of himself.

"Glad to see you're still kicking old man" Qrow chuckled.

"Old man?! We're the same damn age, jackass!" he shouted back indignantly.

"Right, right" Qrow laughed waving him off dismissively "It's good to see you, Tai"

"Well, yeah. I'm awesome" he pointed at his chest with his thumb "You've been gone for almost six months now, I'd have thought you'd at least write or something"

"Yeah..." Qrow sighed "I was hoping to be done with this sooner"

"Well after you got that call from Ozpin, you disappeared on all of us. I told the girls you were off on another important mission, but for all I knew you could've been getting drunk at every bar from Vale to Vacuo"

"Right... sorry" Qrow sighed once more "I should've said something, told you what was up. At least told someone, anyway"

"Yes, you should've" Tai agreed with a small smile "How'd you know that guy in the warehouse? I couldn't even see his face, but you seemed to know who he was"

"It's a long story, but suffice to say... he's the reason I've been gone for the past few months"

"I've got time" Tai smirked "But first, food. I'm starvin"

* * *

"How exactly did you know where to find me?" Qrow asked curiously. He and Tai were in a café sitting in a booth against the far wall away from any of the other customers.

"Ozpin sent me" Tai answered taking a sip from his mug.

"Oz? He didn't say anything to me about it"

"Because he knew you'd try and talk him out of it" Tai chuckled "I sent Zwei to the girls at Beacon, figured they could manage to take care of him while I was away"

"Is that right? You do know they're shadowing a Huntsman this week right?"

"That was this week!?" Tai asked "Well I guess Zwei might get more excitement than I thought" he shrugged it off.

"Why did Ozpin send you?" Qrow asked leaning back and taking a sip from his flask.

"He intercepted communication between Ironwood and the Chief of Security here in Atlas, they were talking about an unknown figure making major plays here in Atlas. No one knows who he is or where he came from but he already controls all of the trafficking business in the city and has grinded human trafficking to a halt. On top of that he seems to have lowered the already negligible crime rate. If I didn't know any better, I'd say the guy actually wants to do good"

"Ozpin wouldn't have sent you if he believed that"

"No, he wouldn't have" Tai looked picked up the café menu, blocking his vision of Qrow as he read over the contents "He's concerned about this newcomer, wouldn't tell me why but he said you and him had a vested interest in identifying him and finding out why he's doing all of this and bring him in, and considering what I already know and you seeming to know just who this guy is, I am getting the impression the man in the warehouse and the guy Ozpin is curious about are one and the same"

"Have you found anything out?" Qrow asked .

"C'mon, Qrow" Tai lowered the menu "This is me we're talking about"

"Yeah, I know" Qrow smirked "I was hoping you caught wind of something other than girls before you found me" Tai was eyeing the waitress walking around, he snapped his head back to Qrow.

"Hey I am a married man!" Tai raised the menu over his face to hide his embarrassment at being caught.

"Uh-huh" Qrow's smirk widened.

"Anyway!"

Qrow chuckled lightly.

"I managed to find out this guy hasn't existed before a few weeks ago. Like somehow this guy comes out of nowhere with a massive criminal record, yet nobody's heard of him. Somehow, he's become Atlas's most wanted within a few weeks time and yet... Ironwood doesn't seem to be committing too many resources to bringing this guy in. I find that a bit odd, don't you?"

"You're thinking Ironwood wants this guy and the Dragon to take each other out and he cleans up the strays" Qrow concluded.

"That would make the most sense to me, why? You have some other ideas?"

"Yeah, I think I know who the guy is, and I am concerned as to why he would do something like this so suddenly. It's completely unlike him"

"What do you mean?" Tai asked curiously.

"If it's who I think it is. He's always wanted to help people, he would never stoop to working these guys over like this so he could take control of the criminal underworld. On top of that, Ironwood isn't the type to let two opposing sides war with each other if people are getting caught in the crossfire, he must know something about this, or else he wouldn't let it continue" Qrow explained.

Then maybe we should check out this lead I found, I heard there's gonna be a big- Tai lowered the menu to find Qrow was standing outside the window with his arms crossed over his chest and a smirk on his face "Just once could you say "C'mon Tai, let's go" is that so hard?" Tai asked rushing out the door.

"It wouldn't be if I didn't know it bothers you so much" Qrow chuckled as he caught up with him.

"You owe me dinner" Tai sighed with a shake of his head.

* * *

 **(Two Days Later)**

"Where are we going?" Tai asked curiously.

"There was a massive shootout in a restaurant in Hightown. I don't know if it has anything to do with the guy we saw at the warehouse, but it's likely the only thing we've got to go on" Qrow explained.

"So... we just introduce ourselves as Huntsmen and hope they let us onto the scene?" Tai asked.

"Why wouldn't they? It's not like a Huntsman is behind all this or anything" Qrow shrugged.

"Is there a reason you won't tell me who you think this guy is?" he sighed.

"I don't know for sure it is him, and I don't want you having any preconceived notions about him if you ever meet. He's a good man, it doesn't make sense for him to do something like this"

"And yet, you believe it could be him"

"Let's just get in there and see what's going on" Qrow shook his head in annoyance. They both arrived on the scene, showing their Huntsman licenses to the security officers allowed them access although reluctantly.

"What've you found?" Qrow asked the officer in charge of the crime scene.

"Well, we already know who did it. Surveillance caught every gory detail" she sighed "Have a look for yourself if you wish. Problem now is figuring out who the hell that guy is" she turned and walked outside.

Tai stood in shock at the scene before him "This place is trashed. How the hell did this happen? There must've been over twenty guys involved in this" tables were overturned or broken and bodies littered nearly every corner of the building, they all wore matching suits aside from a single body in the center of the back room. It looked like a bloodbath.

"It was actually one of our politicians" an officer said "He has always been paranoid, hired people who were working with this "Dragon" to keep him safe when this new guy came into town and started shaking things up. Apparently he controls a lot of the shady business in the city... well... he did anyway"

"How many people did this?" Qrow asked.

"Reports say there was around two dozen guards keeping this guy safe. One man walked in here and did this without hardly a scratch on him" The officer answered "It's insane"

Qrow and Tai looked at each other knowingly "Show us to the surveillance"

"Follow me then" he led them into a back room with several camera angles, he turned the cameras back to the time of day when the attack occurred. The building was stocked full of people, every table had full seating and servers dashing from table to table struggling to keep on top of them. A hooded man with a mask over his face and a pair of sunglasses covering his eyes entered the building and made his way toward the back of the room.

"Would you like to make a reservation?" the man at the front asked.

"No" he answered never looking in his direction.

The man scoffed "Rude"

Slade approached a table with several armed guards around it, and over a dozen others surrounding the rest of the room. Slade removed Defiance from his holster and aimed it for his target. One of the men grabbed his arm stopping him from aiming at the man, Slade pushed the man aside by his arm and turned avoiding a strike from a second guard that stood from the table. Grabbing the guard by his shoulder, he pushed him down and aimed Defiance over his back only for the first guard to grab his arm again, causing him to be unable to make the shot. The man was much bigger than Slade, pulling his arm to the left, he used his other hand to lift Slade by his throat and slam him against a nearby wall, his sunglasses falling onto the floor beside them.

Slade's hood fell down his back as he stabbed his wrist-blades into the mans neck twisting violently, snapping it in the process. Several guards began firing into the back of the dead man trying to hit Slade. Slade quickly removed the two pistols from the dead man's holsters beneath his coat and fired them around the body, taking down several guards and moving into the next room for better cover as the patrons rushed out of the front door, tripping over each other as they did.

A guard picked up a metal post from the ground and smacked Slade's weapons from his hands, pushing the body aside as well. Slade punched with his right hand, only to have the guard catch him by his coat. Twisting around, Slade removed his coat and slammed his fist into the guard's face. Twisting under his arm, he threw the guard into the bar shattering a glass as he did and slammed his head down onto it forcefully.

Turning, Slade removed Defiance from it's holster once more and fired into a guard aiming for him from behind a table. Slade then lifted the man from the bar and used him as a shield while ducking underneath his legs, firing another shot into a second guard. Dropping the man in hand, he fired again into a third guard as he stood, turning back toward his original target. Slade slowly moved into the room once more, pinning himself against a wall before entering.

Slade fired two shots around the wall distracting the guard waiting for him to enter with his weapon drawn, turning he threw Defiance at a second guard and rushed toward him as the gun hit him in the face. Slade dove toward him by his legs and rolled him forward, grabbing his leg as he stood back up and kicked the man in the face. Twisting the man over, he kneeled onto him and picked up Defiance shooting him in the back of the head. Twisting toward an oncoming attacker, Defiance was knocked from his hand by a fire extinguisher being used as a bludgeon. Slade kicked his boot back into another guard attempting to tackled him, dropping him back and avoided a second strike from the extinguisher.

Grabbing the would be bludgeon, he slammed it into a third guard's firearm knocking it from his grip as the second came toward Slade with a knife in hand. Using the first guard's forearm, he blocked the strike and stabbed the knife into the first guard's neck. The third grabbed him by the shoulder and pointed his gun toward him as Slade pushed it toward the first guard firing a round into each of the guards he then slammed his elbow into the man's abdomen and threw him across the nearby table.

Another guard struck at him with a bottle, Slade smashed the bottle using his gauntlet kicked him back into the wall behind him. Grabbing the bottle as he struck for his throat, Slade returned the favor and impaled the broken bottle into his own just before the previous guard kicked Slade in the back, throwing him over a nearby table. unsheathing his wrist blades, he blocked strikes from two guards with knifes stabbing the one on the left in the throat and the one on the right in the shoulder. Slade slammed his left fist into the second guard's face throwing him aside, a third swung a blade for him only to receive a blade to his abdomen and a boot to the back of his knee, dropping him onto them before his throat was slit by said blades, then stabbing them both into the previous guard's chest and kicking him onto his back.

Slade tucked another guard's arm underneath his as he attempted to stab him and slammed the back of his fist into the second guard behind him. Pulling the first guard around in front of him, he grabbed him by the shoulder and snapped his neck with his left hand while kicking is legs out from under him, flipping the man through the air away from him. Slade slammed his knee into the back of the knife sitting in the throat of the second guard, killing him instantly.

Slade grabbed Defiance as yet another guard attacked him with a silver serving tray knocking the weapon from his hands again. Punching for his face, he struck the platter, denting it lightly before slamming his opposite fist into his face while a second guard approached. Slade grabbed his arm as he struck and slammed his boot up into his chin dropping him onto his back as the first stood back up and a third came from behind. Slade brutally deflected each attack from the three men and responded with his own, using his elbows, knees, heels and fists to get them off him. Grabbing one of their legs he flipped the man onto a nearby table, breaking it with his weight and stabbing his wrist-blade into his neck.

The previous two men attacked him together, Slade wrapped his arm around the neck of the first and kicked the second in the chest before flipping the first man over his shoulder onto a table. Slade slammed his fist into the man's face then chest before ducking beneath a kick from the first guard knocking the second down as it struck his face. Slade grabbed the second guard's leg and flipped him onto his front, picking up Defiance from the floor and adjusting it to fire as the first guard wrapped his arm around his throat. Slade quickly fired the weapon backwards into the man's head before following suit with the man below him.

Standing straight up he slowly began making his way back to the room with his target in it, motioning with his gun for the bartender to leave as he went past him. A gunshot rang out hitting him in the side, Slade fired as he rushed to the wall for cover and fired around it as the man rushed around toward him from the opposite side of the wall. The man tackled Slade into the bar behind him, Slade broke the crossbar from beneath the bar and impaled the man on it as he charged him. Pulling it through the other side of him he slammed it into the face of one of his two next attackers and used it to snap the neck of the second before slamming it back into the first's face twice more.

One final guard aimed at his back as he started to rise from the ground, holding his left side and firing his gauntlet backward into the man. Slade lifted Defiance off the ground and painfully made his way back to his target who sat in utter terror at what he had just witness.

"Holy... shit" Tai Yang breathed out in disbelief as Slade fired into the man's head. He quickly left the building afterward, leaving his carnage behind.

"Yeah..." The officer sighed "We thought the witnesses were hysterical until we saw this. No one person could do this much and walk out right? Figured it was some type of gang hit... but, it sure as shit was just one guy. One seriously skilled guy"

"I think we've seen what we need to see" Qrow quickly urged Tai out of the building and away from the scene before people started asking them questions.

"Qrow... tell me it's not the guy you think it is. You don't actually know anyone who could do that and isn't a Huntsman do you?" he asked concerned.

"I do" Qrow sighed once they were far enough away "He was close to graduating... but he left after his team was killed by one of Salem's goons" Qrow looked distressed.

"You said he was a good person, Qrow. Good people don't go into heavy populated areas and shoot people!"

"No innocents were hurt, only thugs working for a corrupt politician. Technically he acted fully within his purview as a Bounty Hunter so long as someone hired him to do it, but Ironwood is sure as shit not gonna be happy about it... and Slade's different from most people, Tai"

"I gathered that" he sighed "Most people couldn't do what he just did even if they wanted"

"That's not what I'm talking about, Tai. Slade is... connected to Salem somehow. We don't know how or why, or what the full effects are for such a thing. But we do know that Slade had visions of the past or future. So far, everything he saw always happened, and the others we can't confirm yet"

"Wait, wait, wait... this is THE Slade? As in Slade Stroud? Vytal Festival champion, top of his class, last of the Stroud family?" Tai asked in shock.

"The very same... it's unfortunate he didn't follow in his parents footsteps, but that's mostly my fault and Oz's" he sighed.

"Then... what he said earlier... about Summer-"

"He doesn't know anything about that you don't, not unless Salem told him something through their connection. That was just him being cruel, likely trying yo distract us from what he was really doing, keeping us talking until his rigged explosives were set to go"

"We've gotta find this guy, Qrow. Fast. Who knows what else he's doing right now"

"I know, but we're gonna need some help"

* * *

Ozpin sat in his office, with a deep sigh he stood and walked over to the window overlooking the courtyard. It was empty, this time of night it would be.

"You should really get some rest, Professor" Glynda suggested.

"I will, Glynda. Thank you" he smiled back to her "Why don't you head to your quarters and get a head start. It was a rough day today"

"That it was" Glynda agreed with a shake of her head "Just don't stay up too late, Professor. You need your rest too" she turned to leave without another word spoken between them.

Ozpin sat and pondered the events of today, he was saddened by the thought and shook those thoughts from his mind. Ozpin's scroll suddenly started ringing, removing it from his pocket, he answered the call "Qrow? I figured you'd call before long"

"Yeah, well... you did send Tai after me"

"I sent Tai Yang to track down the hooded man making major plays among the Atlas criminal underworld"

"Which you knew would lead him to working with me... did you know it was him, Oz?"

"I had my suspicions as you no doubt did. Have you found anything proving it?"

"No, but it's him"

"How do you know for sure?"

"His weapon was the same, he wears mostly the same thing as from before... and his skills are even greater than the day he left. He doesn't just have the training now, he's got experience. He's made some improvements to his gauntlets as well... Slade's more ruthless than he used to be. I think Salem might've had an effect on him"

"I feared as much. Slade's been fighting against Salem's manipulations for as long as he's been at Beacon. I had hoped to have found a way to sever their connection, but it seems nothing I cam up with was viable"

"We need to find him, Oz. I might be able to help him before he's too far gone"

"I understand, I only wish I was there with you both. That boy has experienced far more torment in his life than he deserves. I'm certain whatever he's done, he's still the same boy we know somewhere deep down"

"You didn't see the video of the bloodbath he just waged, I'm not sure Slade can even see himself anymore... Oz, is something going on with you? You sound... off"

"I am upset I suppose" Ozpin sighed "I sent Ruby and her team to Mountain Glenn with Bartholomew for their shadow mission. Their mission was to search Mountain Glenn for a possible hideout of the White Fang, Roman Torchwick, or someone else entirely" he explained.

"That doesn't sound like a first year mission... don't tell me something bad happened to them"

"No, no, nothing like that. They're all safe and sound with no injuries to speak of... but Roman Torchwick drove a train through the collapsed tunnel leading to the city of Vale. Grimm following behind the train attacked the city and the students of Beacon were all forced to fight them off to protect the civilians. Ironwoods forces were essential in repelling them, but unfortunately the council decided he was better suited to make the decisions regarding the safety of Vale than I am" Ozpin sighed "On the bright side Roman Torchwick has been incarcerated"

"That's rough, Oz. I know you did everything you could've to make sure everything was done as well as it could've been"

"I'm not so sure... but that's not what we should be focusing on right now. You and I both know Slade has been reported to be working with Roman Torchwick and Adam Taurus in the past. If he's operating in Atlas, it doesn't bode well for any of us. Find out what he's doing there and stop him"

"I plan to, but if I am gonna be going up against Slade. I'm gonna need some things to make sure I am ready"

"He is a formidable fighter, and that's even without his Semblance. Whatever you need, let me know, and I'll make it happen"

"Thanks, Oz"

* * *

 **That's all for now guys! I'll have the next chapter out for you guys as soon as possible, thanks for taking the time.**


	20. Confrontation

**Alright guys, I've got another chapter for you all! My computer crashed while typing up this chapter, unfortunately losing me half of it. But it's all back now! It has put me back a bit, but not to worry, I am working on the next chapter as much as I am able.**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing!**

"Speech"

 _Thoughts_

* * *

 **Chapter Twenty: Confrontation**

Slade entered the run down apartment with a groan "Damn that hurts" he removed his coat tossing it onto the counter. The apartment was completely empty save for a few weapons littering the floor. Slade sat down against the wall and began bandaging up his left side, he stopped upon hearing his scroll ring, he fetched it from his coat and continued bandaging with his opposite hand.

"General-"

"YOU BLEW UP A WAREHOUSE!" he screamed through the device.

"Yeah an empty one, and I also just took down about two dozen criminals and the corrupt politician using his connections in the council to clear things for Dragon that couldn't normally be brought through security" Slade answered with a groan as he finished bandaging up his wound.

"You were supposed to be discreet! I hired you-"

"You hired me to get you The Dragon. That's what I'm doing. I warned you things were going to get messy-argh!" he groaned as he tightened the bandage "I've stayed still for too long"

"What do you mean?"

"Qrow was there, at the warehouse. Him and a Huntsman he kept calling Tai"

"Qrow and Tai Yang? What're they doing in Atlas?"

"I don't know about Tai Yang, General, but Qrow has been hunting me ever since I left Vale. Ozpin may have sent him after me, I don't know, but I have no idea why he's been after me all these months" Slade explained "I can only guess he's trying to convince me to come back with Ozpin, but if not..."

"Did... did you hurt them? Do they know it's you?"

"I didn't stick around to fight them if that's what you mean. But yeah, I'm sure Qrow knows by now, which means Ozpin probably does too. I didn't engage them, but they're the reason I had to resort to explosives to make sure I wasn't followed. Don't worry, nothing more than a few bruises on each of them, my Semblance was able to make sure of that"

"What's your next move? Have you found anything out about Torchwick's Dust robberies or why he's doing them?"

"Yeah, I already knew about that mostly before you arrested him this morning"

Ironwood remained silent "Slade-"

"I know, General. He attacked Vale with an army of Grimm, I understand you had to arrest him. But when all of this is said and done, I want what you promised me"

"You'll have it. Now, tell me what you know"

"Roman and Neo are working for Cinder Fall. She was responsible for the disappearances at Foxworth seven years ago, she was there when Malachite died and she hired Raven Branwen to capture the Maidens; yes I know about them, and was working with Hunter and Cole when they infiltrated Beacon five years ago, among other things, she's been a pain in my ass"

"So she's been fairly busy, she was most likely the same person who just attacked the CCTS tower. I'd be willing to bet she's not alone"

"More than likely" Slade sighed "She's usually accompanied by Emerald Sustrai and Mercury Black, check for those three names among the students. If you can't find anything I will see what I can do about photos"

"Thank you, Slade... but you never answered my question. What's your next move?"

"Someone attacked my business this morning" Slade answered with a smirk "The Dragon must've finally had enough of me messing with his things. I'm gonna go watch one of my worker bees and see if I can't get any honey"

"You plan on capturing the ones attacking his old business"

"No, I plan on luring out The Dragon's biggest players and taking them down. They're the ones who'd make anyone who speaks out against him disappear. I find them, I find him" Slade explained.

"That makes sense, what about Qrow?"

"He's sure to be watching as well, he just can't help himself" Slade answered.

"Just don't do anything-" Slade hung up the scroll as he slung his coat on over his shoulders "Alright, Qrow. Let's find out just how much you know"

* * *

Qrow sighed in exasperation as he and Tai Yang sat at the same table in the café once again, picking at his food but not actively eating.

"Qrow" Tai sighed "You've been picking at that same piece of bacon for the past five minutes"

"I'm not exactly hungry, Tai. I can't snarf down an entire meal every hour like Ruby" he chuckled, his face returned to the deep frown he's worn since the previous day.

"I know you're still upset about being right about this Slade guy being the hotshot taking over the Atlas criminal enterprise, but come on! We don't even know the full facts around why he's doing what he is, and you're acting like he shot an old lady in the middle of the street" Tai explained exasperated as he shoved another pancake into his mouth "You said the kid was a good guy for as long as you've known him right, what could've-" he swallowed the food in his mouth "What could've possibly changed in the past six to eight months that would've caused him to become a cold blooded killer huh? Does it make sense to you?" he asked trying to cheer him up.

"He's been working with criminals ever since he left Beacon. Became Torchwick's enforcer after only a few weeks away, his reputation as a Bounty Hunter has always been a bit... contradictive"

"How so?" Tai shoved more eggs in his mouth, never looking up from his plate.

"There were stories about how he saved entire towns from Grimm or bandit attacks before any Huntsmen could be called to assist them, and then there were tales about his ruthlessness in other cities when it came to dealing with criminals. Those same cities would have plenty of people telling the exact opposite stories about how he incarcerated an entire gang without firing a shot. The things I heard were so unhelpful because I couldn't figure out which ones I could believe. Made tracking him down a lot harder, he never stayed in one place for long"

"Maybe he knew you were hunting him"

"Hunting? Really, Tai. You don't think that's a bit of an overstatement?"

"Considering you've been "On a top secret mission" for the past six months and Slade just so happened to have left Vale around the same time, yeah I wouldn't say so"

Qrow shook his head with a sigh "Maybe you're right"

"How was everything?" the waitress asked as she approached their table.

"Absolutely delicious! Please send my compliments to the chef!" Tai answered enthusiastically.

"It's very good, thank you" Qrow answered taking a bite of his bacon finally.

"I'm so glad to hear it, I will be sure to pass it on to our wonderful cook. Here's that drink you ordered" she placed a glass on the table with a bottle of beer next to it.

"This early, Qrow?" Tai asked with a sigh "You don't think you're overdoing it?"

"I didn't order a drink" Qrow replied confused.

"That man over by the bar said-oh" she turned to find the man in question was no longer present "He must've taken off... well not to worry, the drink and your meal have already been paid for. I have your receipt right here" she handed it to Qrow, he looked bewildered.

"Paid for?" Tai asked surprised.

"Mhmm" she nodded her head "Such a nice young man he was, and a looker too" she blushed lightly "Anyway, I'll just be on my way. Have a good day gentlemen" she strode off back to the kitchen.

"Okay, now I am concerned" Tai struggled to see if he could find anyone he recognized outside the café.

Qrow was looking the receipt over, flipping it the word "Left" was written on it "Left?" Qrow asked aloud.

"Qrow" Tai got his attention "I think I know who paid for our meal"

Qrow looked left to see Slade was standing there with his hood down and only his sunglasses on to cover his eyes. He gave a half wave and smirked at their shocked reactions.

"Found him" Qrow breathed as he stood up to rush after him. Slade rolled his eyes and pushed his sunglasses up on his face before bolting away. Tai looked between his remaining food and Qrow as his friend rushed out the door, sighing he downed everything on his plate in under a few seconds and followed behind Qrow.

"Nice day for a run" Slade chuckled ducking into an alleyway, Qrow turned into bird form and followed finding him quickly climbing the wall and to the rooftop. Transforming back as he arrived on the rooftop with Slade he called out to him "Slade!"

Slade never stopped, leaping over the edge of the building onto another. Tai finally caught up with Qrow "C'mon, old man. We're gonna let him get away" he leapt over the gap and roughly rolled into the landing followed shortly by Qrow.

Slade ran to the edge of the roof facing the street "He's got nowhere to go" Tai smirked. Slade never slowed down and leapt through the air, he narrowly caught himself on the edge of an open window, pulling himself inside and using his Semblance to open the opposite window at the other end of the apartment before leaping out of it.

"So much for that!" Qrow groaned transforming into his bird form, following through the building as Tai made his way down and across the street through the alley to see Slade scaling the nearby building as Qrow caught up to him. Returning to his human form as he reached the roof, he held Harbinger ready in his hand as Slade made it up to the rooftop. Tai Yang was the one staring back at Qrow instead of Slade, causing them both to be confused "Tai? Where did he go?"

"I thought he was up here with you!" Tai shouted in annoyance "I saw him climb up here just before you made it up here"

"That doesn't make any sense, how could he have just disappeared-" a blade struck the ground between them, causing them both to drop into combat stances. They both turn to see Slade standing on the building above them, only a few stories higher then them.

"It's been a long time, Qrow" Slade spoke, his hood and mask both covering him now "Haven't seen you since I left Vale"

Qrow and Tai Yang stood ready for a fight, the way Slade was standing, it seemed he was expecting one "Yeah, it has been a long time hasn't it. I almost didn't recognize the boy I knew in that video of you massacring people inside a heavily populated restaurant in broad daylight!" Qrow shouted angrily.

"Possibly because I am no longer a boy, nor am I the person you knew back at Beacon. You and I both know I didn't hurt anyone who wasn't scum anyway, so what's the problem?" Slade asked, his arms crossed over his chest.

"Killing criminals who attack you is one thing, Slade. Killing criminals while they're civilians in the line of fire isn't how we do things! You didn't learn that from us"

"As I said, Qrow... I am not the boy you knew" Slade scoffed.

"I'll take the front and you take the rear?" Tai whispered placing his two gauntlets on, getting ready for a fight. The gauntlets looked similar to Slade's but had a clear gun placement on each of them and no blades to be seen, his were a dark brown color.

"Yeah, be careful"

"Right" Tai rushed forward as Qrow circled around behind the rooftop. Leaping up to Slade, Tai fired a few shots from his gauntlets. Slade backhand sprung away from the shots as Qrow got behind him.

"Gotcha!" Qrow yelled just before Slade landed on his feet, he passed right through the ground using his Semblance surprising both his attackers.

"I knew he could slip through objects after watching his fights at the Vytal Festival, but to move through the solid ground like that, and so effortlessly..." Tai wondered aloud.

"He's definitely more proficient with his Semblance than he used to be, but he never relied on it much before. Always said it was a crutch" Qrow pondered.

"He didn't seem to need it when taking down those men yesterday, despite being severely outnumbered" Tai pointed out.

"You're right of course, keep an eye out. I doubt he just decided to-" Slade reemerged from the rooftop behind him. Qrow swung Harbinger around at Slade as his top half had managed to poke through, Harbinger passed right through Slade's head. He grabbed Qrow by the hand holding his weapon over his shoulder. The rest of his body came out from the roof as he pulled Qrow to his right, shifting his arm back around his head as he did. Qrow stumbled and Tai fired a round from his gauntlet at Slade as he pulled his arm back to strike Qrow. Using his Semblance he passed right through the bullet as it passed through his head and slammed his fist into Qrow's face. Slade leapt away as Qrow struck the ground.

"I have no desire to fight you, though I can't say I didn't expect one" he sighed. Qrow leapt back to Tai and held Harbinger ready in front of him.

"He dematerializes his body at the moment of an attack in order to protect himself, but not his whole body, just the portion being attacked" Tai analyzed aloud to Qrow, gaging by the bruise on his cheek.

"Yeah, the only time you'd be able to hit him is if you caught him off guard, or he elected not to use his Semblance and you get a good shot in" Qrow quietly explained.

"We'll attack one after the other, and get him when he rematerializes" Tai suggested.

"It's gonna have to be perfectly timed. Slade's used to people using that kind of attack to trip him up. He's well guarded against it"

"But has he ever faced two seasoned Huntsmen like us?" Tai smirked with a cocky glint in his eye.

"Maybe not, but that's no reason to underestimate him"

"Whispering amongst yourselves will not make your next attempt to capture me go any better for you" Slade chuckled.

"C'mon!" Qrow charged with Tai close behind.

Tai Yang fired both his gauntlets at Slade, he easily deflected them with his own gauntlets. Qrow leapt toward him and swung Harbinger down at Slade, he stepped through Qrow as he struck using his Semblance and turned to strike him in the back.

 _Gotcha!_ Tai pulled his fist back and slammed it into Slade's back, but found he passed right through him and had actually struck Qrow. Slade spun around and slammed his heel into Tai's back throwing him over Qrow as they both fell.

"I tried to warn you" he sighed shaking his head.

"Dammit" Tai groaned standing back up, Qrow used Harbinger to stand himself back up quickly "He feigned an attack and I fell for it"

"Told you he was used to this sort of tactic"

"Why don't I make things easier on you guys" Slade shrugged "I won't use my Semblance, but I'm not surrendering to you"

"We just want to talk" Qrow replied.

"Then talk, I wasn't the one who attacked. If anything you should be thanking me for paying your bill"

"We attacked because we know you're not going to come quietly" Qrow replied as Harbinger changed into scythe form.

"How do you know? You didn't even ask"

"Ozpin wants to have a word with you, in person" Tai Yang replied.

Slade's eyes visibly twitched at the mention of his name "You're right, I would never have come quietly for that"

"We figured as much" Qrow sighed "Then I suppose we're going to have to use force"

"Well you'll have a greater chance now that I am not going to use my Semblance on either of you" Slade smirked beneath his mask.

Qrow rushed forward, swinging Harbinger for his legs. Slade leaned back and caught himself on his hands as his legs cleared the strike then tucked them into his chest as Qrow swung Harbinger back around and rolled away from his next strike as he slammed Harbinger's blade form down onto the ground he was on. Slade then sprung back onto his hands as Qrow spun Harbinger in scythe form behind his back expertly and struck once more, releasing his grip on the weapon, it skated toward Slade as he did multiple handsprings backward away from it, narrowly avoiding the blade. Qrow caught Harbinger in his hand as it became it's blade form once more and fired a round at Slade, who promptly deflected it with his gauntlet and fired his opposite one back at Qrow. Qrow spun his blade to block the rounds fired at him as Tai rushed toward him.

Tai swung his fist at Slade's head as he shifted away from it, spinning with his movement, he kicked for Tai's face as he ducked back from the strike. Tai pulled his arm back as he avoided the attack and struck toward his chest, Slade blocked using both his gauntlets and slid back several inches from the force of the strike. Tai flip-kicked through the air and slammed his foot down onto Slade's arms as he blocked the strike. Slade pushed back hard, causing Tai to flip backward and slammed his fist into Tai's chest, throwing him onto his back, sliding several feet away from him.

Qrow rushed toward Slade and swung Harbinger down on him. Slade slid to the left of the weapon and leapt up, sliding over Qrow's back and spinning to kick him in the face as he turned toward Slade, pushing him to the right, landing on his chest. Qrow swung Harbinger toward Slade from his place on the ground, Slade flipped over the blade as Qrow stood and kicked Harbinger away from him with his right heel then twisted around and used his left heel to push Qrow toward the edge of the roof.

Tai struck Slade across the face as he straightened his stance, throwing his sunglasses from his face and dropping his hood down. Slade used his left hand to push Tai's second strike away from him, twisted around and slammed his elbow toward his face, meeting his open palm instead. Slade twisted again swung his left leg toward his face, Tai ducked back from it as Slade moved with the strike and used his right leg to catch him off guard. Tai placed both of his hands up and blocked the kick to his face, Slade using the same leg, shifted it to the right side of Tai and struck again twice meeting Tai's gauntlets both times. Dropping his leg down, he swung his right fist toward Tai as he pushed it aside with his left hand.

Slade punched with his left fist, meeting Tai's open palm and then again with his right fist. Tai caught Slade by his wrist and using his open hand, thrusted his elbow toward his face. Slade narrowly caught it mere inches from his face "Caught you off balance!" Tai smirked, he swept his leg up behind Slade's right, causing him to fall onto his back. Planting his hands on the ground behind him, he rolled backward away from Tai as he slammed his heel down onto the rooftop where he previously laid.

"Not bad for an old man" Slade chuckled putting his hands up defensively.

"Not too bad yourself, kid" Tai smirked back at him.

"Why're you doing this, Slade?" Qrow asked standing beside Tai "I don't understand why you'd want anything to do with the criminals here. Dust, drugs, guns, and who knows what else. You've never been interested in peddling this crap"

"You're not asking quite the right question Qrow" Slade smirked removing his mask "Who hired me would be the better question. One I'm not going to answer, but a better question nonetheless" Qrow growled charging Slade with Harbinger in scythe form.

Slade planted his arm onto the huge vent next to him and slammed his heels into Harbinger as he struck with it, throwing him off balance. Slade then stepped onto Harbinger as he lifted it back up, pushing it down as he used the force of his kick to flip forward, hooking the end of his wrist-blade as it unsheathed from the bottom of his right gauntlet between the segmented parts of the scythe. Sliding around Qrow, he pulled his right arm back, wrenching Harbinger from Qrow's grip and causing him to flip forward. Slade twisted and slammed his heel into Qrow's back, throwing him across the edge of the rooftop.

Tai swung his right fist at Slade followed by his left as he blocked both strikes with his left gauntlet. Tai flipped forward, kicking town at Slade as he cartwheeled to his left. Tai struck for Slade who matched his punch with his own, their fist's connecting with each other. Tai swung his left leg up toward Slade, he ducked beneath it and twisted away with his right hand planted on the ground. Slade and Tai rushed toward each other, thrusting their opposite elbows at each other and using their free hands to block the other's strike.

"Fighting defensively now?" Tai asked, surprised by his seamless change from offensive tactics to more defensive "Guess Beacon taught you well after-" Slade swept his left leg out from under him dropping Tai over the edge of the roof to the sidewalk below where Qrow struggled to get up, his Aura sparking lightly. Tai managed to lessen his injuries as he fell, catching himself on his hands and getting himself standing upright with the same motion. The bystanders looked on in confusion.

"Qrow? You alight?" Tai asked concerned.

"Yeah" he groaned, holding his left shoulder painfully.

Slade leapt down into the center of the street with his sunglasses in hand, turning slowly to face Qrow and Tai Yang "You both look like you could use a break" he smirked "I'd love to stay and chat but I have an appointment I simply cannot miss"

"Wait!" Qrow called after him, struggling to follow.

"I've got him!" Tai yelled back as he rushed toward Slade.

Slade twisted around his arms as he tried to grab him from behind. Kicking the back of his leg, Tai fell down to his knees before Slade slammed his heel into Tai's face, throwing him onto his back. Slade removed Defiance from its holster and fired a single shot into his right leg.

"Argh!" Tai garbed his leg in pain.

"I cannot believe you would try and make me late after I told you I had an appointment. Don't you know I like to be punctual!" Slade holstered Defiance "Stay down this time" he turned to leave, placing his hood on over his face and his sunglasses over his eyes.

"Tai!" Qrow called out as a truck rounded the corner going way too fast "Tai, move!" Qrow grabbed him and helped him to his feet, but neither of them were fast enough to move out of the way of the truck desperately trying to stop, the tires screeching as he slammed on the brakes. The truck suddenly stopped dead in it's tracks just a few feet away from them. Qrow watched in shock as Slade stood in front of them, his hands on both sides of the front of the truck as it tilted up into the air. Slade appeared to be struggling as he gently set it down onto the road.

Slade adjusted his coat and turned toward the two of them "Go home. I don't need you getting in my way. Next time, I won't be so cordial" he turned away from them and promptly left.

"Thank you" Tai called after him.

Slade hesitated for a second, but nonetheless continued away from the pair without a word.

"I'm so sorry!" the driver shouted out the window "Are you both alright?"

"Yeah!" Qrow called "What happened?"

"I don't know! I lost control of the car suddenly, the brakes weren't responding" he explained stepping out.

"I heard the brakes, what do you mean they weren't responding?" Tai asked confused.

"All I can say is I wasn't the one slamming the brakes when they started working" he shrugged, Qrow laughed lightly.

"What's so funny?" Tai asked confused.

"My bad luck is what caused the brakes to go as you've no doubt figured out already, but Slade's Semblance was the only thing that could've stopped that car enough for him to catch it without hurting the driver" he explained.

"Awful nice of him to make sure we didn't just get flattened, wouldn't you say?" Tai asked Qrow.

"Yeah... maybe there's something left of the kid I knew in there after all"

* * *

"The bullet didn't hit anything vital, and the wound is clean through. Stay off of it for a few days as much as possible and clean it every morning and every night. You should be fine Mr. Xiao Long" the doctor listed off.

"Thanks, Doc" Qrow nodded to him.

"That shoulder should be looked at too, Mr. Branwen. It could be broken, or need to be reset"

"I'm fine, thank you. It's nothing I haven't dealt with before"

"Well whatever it is you're both doing here, I suggest you both head back home as soon as it's done. Vale's going to be under some scrutiny for awhile after what happened"

"Huh?" Tai asked confused "Did something happen?"

"Roman Torchwick drove a train from Mountain Glenn to Vale and destroyed the tunnel roof so Grimm would follow behind it and attack the city. Ruby and Yang were part of the team sent to stop him with Bartholomew as the Huntsman they were shadowing. Beacon students all showed up to fight against the Grimm and protect the people. Ironwood's forces were one of the reasons it was handled so quickly, now he is in charge of security for all of Vale during the Vytal Festival. Torchwick is incarcerated now by the way" Qrow explained.

"How did you hear about that and not-Oz" he answered his own question.

"Oz" Qrow chuckled "You should head back home, Tai. Take care of that injury"

"And leave you to fight this guy by yourself? He showed us both up today. What're you gonna do on your own?"

"I was sloppy today, let him get to me. I was fighting angry instead of focusing. I won't make that mistake with him again. You on the other hand won't be much help to me with that leg until it heals. The way Slade moves, he won't be in the city anymore by the time it does. I need to move against him now if I hope to have a chance of bringing him in"

"You're not worried about what's going on in Vale?" Tai asked.

"The girls know how to take care of themselves, and I trust Ozpin to keep a lid on things despite what James is doing. If Ozpin needs me back, I will come back. Simple as that"

Tai looked unsure "Alright, I trust you. Just don't get yourself killed alright"

"I won't. Ruby would be pretty upset with me if I didn't come back to see her become a full fledged Huntress after all. Yang would probably beat me to a pulp if I didn't show" he smirked.

"Only if I didn't get to you first"

* * *

"Do you know who I am?! Do you have any idea what you're doing!?" yelled Mahony as he propped himself up against a nearby car, he had bruises covering his face and arms and was stripped of his suit save for his boxers.

"Yeah, we know exactly who you are" the man up front laughed as the two thugs backed away from the man.

"Then you know who I work for, and who you're screwing with"

"Yeah, yeah, Mahony. We know who protects ya, but The Dragon you see, wants what's his back. So, we're sending your boss a message" he smirked igniting the end of a Molotov Cocktail. Suddenly the bottle exploded in his hand igniting the man causing him to scream in anguish as he fell to the ground, burning.

"Alright" Slade smashed onto the roof of the car Mahony was leaning against "What's the message?" the second thug ran in fear, Slade used his gauntlet's grappling hook to grab the man from behind and wrapped it around his legs causing him to trip.

"A simple one really" four heavily armed Huntsmen dropped into the alleyway "Want to guess what it might be?" one of them was a redhead with her hair pulled back into a ponytail and solid red armor plating covering her from head to toe, stopping just below her eyes and two glowing red blades in her hands. The other three wore the same armor but with different variations of color and armoring. The man to her left had a double edged blade and green armor covering everything but his eyes so none of his face was showing. To the left of him was a man covered completely in armor with no skin showing and no weapon in hand, his armor was solid blue, and to the far right was much larger than the other three and wore matching armor to the second but painted purple. They all rushed toward Slade, prepared to attack.

"I have a few ideas" Slade answered, smirking underneath his mask as he watched a crow land on a nearby street light. Mahony took off running into the street to get away from the fight. Slade began firing from both of his gauntlets, all of his bullets were blocked or deflected by their armor. The girl leapt onto the car stabbing both her blades down as Slade slid backward away from her.

Slade jumped onto the hood and then pushed off away from her as she gave chase continuing to fire as he slid to a stop, then flipped forward over her again away from the large man rushing toward him from behind. Slade slid on his knees underneath the man's blade as he sliced for his chest and again for his head as he passed. Slade fired while leaning back as he slid to a stop. The man lunged forward as Slade flipped backward on one hand away then rolled forward beneath the second strike, his back now facing the attacker.

Twisting around, Slade kicked the man in the face causing him to stumble away from him. Then he ducked beneath the girl leaping toward him with her blades before turning around and firing a single shot from his revolver which packed a considerably larger punch. Slade leapt into the air as the man swung his blade toward him again and landed on the man's back, kicking him in the back of the head as he leapt off. Slade easily slid away from the attackers as they struck before leaping up onto a fire escape nearby.

"Any of you worthless trash know who I am?" Slade asked firing his revolver down on them.

"You're our target" one of them answered.

"That's a no then"

The man completely covered in armor used his Semblance to fire an energy blast from his chest up at Slade destroying the fire escape. Slade leapt off as it exploded, throwing him to the ground as he lost his grip on Defiance. He was grabbed by the large man by the leg as he rolled before he was thrown into the nearby pillar holding up the monorail track.

"Ow" Slade groaned looking up at them "So, all this power and all you do is kill people for money? Here I thought you were supposed to be Huntsmen"

"From what I hear we have that in common, Slade Stroud" the large man chuckled as he lifted Slade by his chest.

"You heard wrong" Slade tossed several shards of red Dust from his vest onto the man, firing his gauntlet into one of them, causing them to explode knocking him back. Slade was sliced across the chest by the double edged blade, only managing to scratch his armor. Using his wrist blades he deflected the attack directed at his face by the girl's swords kicking her in the chest and throwing her back.

Slade slid back away from the double edged blade and punched him in the face twice before ducking under another and kicking him in the face again. Slade rolled backward away from the man coming to a crouching position as they encircled him.

"And here I thought you'd put up more of a fight" the big man said disappointed.

"The real fight hasn't even started yet" he chuckled "I'm just staling, after all"

"Huh? Staling? For what-" the man with the double edged sword asked but was shot twice in the arm. They all looked up to see Qrow land between them and Slade. The big one rushed Qrow. Using Harbinger in it's scythe form he pulled his arm toward him as he stuck and kicked him in the face before spinning and returning Harbinger to it's blade form he slammed it into his chest, pushing him backward.

"The hell were you watching for so long for?" Slade asked standing back up straight.

"Shut up and fight" Qrow replied.

"Fight I can do, shutting up? Might be a bit more difficult"

The big one and the girl attacked them, Qrow caught the big man's attack between his blade and arm as Slade caught both of the girls arms. They both struck their opponents in the face before twisting around and striking the opposite opponents as well. Qrow blocked the double edged blade with his own as Slade engaged the man with the chest laser. Twisting around he caught the laser Slade dodged with his blade and reflected it into the large man's chest. Slade jumped up and kicked both of his boots into his chest before rolling away. Slade managed to block the strike from Qrow's opponent as he rushed over and shoulder bashed Slade's opponent. Qrow leapt away as the big man attacked him being followed by his partner with the laser. Slade kicked his opponent in the face before blocking the blades from the girl and kneeing her in the chest and bashing his fist into her face, dropping her onto her knees.

Qrow blocked a kick to his chest and kicked the man in his chest as he backed away, the big man lifting the car over his head. Qrow twisted around and struck the man in the face with Harbinger throwing him past the one holding the car. He threw the car at Qrow, he leapt up through the open door and came out the other side unharmed, he placed a small device on the man's shoulder. It sent an electric shock through his body rendering him unconscious.

"That's just bad luck" Slade chuckled as he stepped back away from a kick from the laser man dropping toward him. Slade slammed his fist into his face and delivered several more before twisting around and kicking him in the face, throwing him onto his back. Rushing forward and leaping onto the pillar nearby, he pushed off and kicked for the girls face, she easily dodged it. Slade grabbed her right arm and twisted it behind her back striking the back of her neck with the side of his hand, pulling her back by her head, he bashed his head into hers knocking her unconscious. Slade turned to see Qrow fighting the last one standing. Qrow ducked under the man's attack and kicked him in the abdomen then punched him in the face. Twisting around he slammed Harbinger into his double edged blade breaking it in half and shattering the blades. Slade grabbed him from behind and slammed him down into the ground knocking him unconscious.

"You know, Qrow. It's been awhile since I've watched you work" Slade smirked removing his mask. Qrow turned and stared at Slade, he took a deep sigh.

"I-"

"Look out!" Slade pushed Qrow aside as the laser man fired once more, knocking Slade to the ground.

Qrow rushed forward to have the man kick him in the chest and then flip-kicked him in the face, throwing him onto his back. The man rushed over to Slade and pinned him to the ground with his arms and legs.

"Awful close aren't we? You afraid you might miss me?"

"The Dragon wants your head mounted on his wall, I plan on delivering. That means I don't need your body, just your head"

"Kinky. At least buy me dinner first"

"Say goodbye"

"Let him go" Qrow ordered aiming his weapon at him "And step away"

"Ha!" he lifted Slade up and used him as a human shield "What're you going to do now?" he laughed.

Slade's right wrist blade sprung out while his left hand grabbed the man's scroll from his belt "I'm no damsel in distress" Passing right through him using his Semblance, he stabbed through the man's armor and pinned him to the wall before headbutting him unconscious.

"Just be happy I didn't kill any of them. They're hired killers" he said turning back to Qrow.

"What does that make you?"

"I'm making the world a safer place to live in" Slade answered turning away "More than any Huntsmen ever did"

"You're stealing territory and illegal business from The Dragon and killing anyone who gets in your way"

"I've killed a few people, I'll admit that. Nothing less than what you yourself have done on missions for Ozpin, you can't honestly tell me you've never killed anyone on the job before. I've made sure it's never been any civilians or innocent people. Hell sometimes I've been able to scare young people away from a life of crime"

"You're becoming a crime lord"

"Yes, because that's what this job requires me to do. Once I find out who the Dragon is, I bring him in and everyone who's ever worked for him in this city down"

"Tell me what happened... let me help you, Slade"

Slade's eyes widened in shock "Help me? Is that why you've been chasing after me, all this time? Because you think I need your help? Qrow, I am sorry to tell you, but if you're looking to change me into being the person I was when I attended Beacon, it's too late. There is no changing me back into that ignorant boy who jumped to every time Ozpin called, I am done with that"

"Then tell me at least why you're doing this? Do you really think you've been doing good things as a hired gun?"

"I know not everything I've done since I left Beacon was for the best, but I've left that all behind. I am helping people now, crime has never been lower in Atlas, and once I'm finished with Dragon, I will be coming for others like him. Adam Taurus, Raven Branwen, people who prey on the weak!"

"Why? What do you get out of it?"

"You're still asking the wrong question, Qrow. This has nothing with what I stand to gain"

"Then what does it have to do with?"

"Think about it, Qrow. Maybe you'll even come up with the answer yourself, but I'll tell you this... if you still believe your sister can be saved. Make sure you get to her before I do. Because I can't promise you I will have the restraint to let her live" Slade threw down a smoke bomb and disappeared from sight before Qrow managed to figure out where he went.

"Dammit!" he cursed.

* * *

Qrow stood on a rooftop overlooking the city of Atlas "I can't believe it's come to this" he sighed.

"Nothing ever goes to plan when it comes to him does it?" Ozpin said from behind Qrow catching him off guard.

"Oz? What're you doing here? You should be back in Vale"

"Is that any way to greet a friend?" Ozpin smiled "I'm here because Slade's here, I want to make sure we handle things correctly with him this time" he explained stepping to the edge of the building beside him "Besides, I think Glynda and James can handle things for a few days while I am away. It's not exactly like I have a lot of say in matters anymore"

"I'm sorry about that, Oz. But I don't think you being here is going to make things better. He thinks what he is doing is making the world safer, Oz"

"He may be right, he's been taking far more criminals off the streets around Remnant than any of our Huntsmen have in double the time. He's making progress"

"It's not about whether or not he's accomplishing good things, it's why he's doing it. You can always do the right thing for the wrong reasons, just as you can do the wrong thing for the right reasons"

"I know, but in this particular case... Slade's always seen things in shades of grey. He's been able to see past someone's actions and find their intentions... that's one of the reasons I was looking forward to him becoming a Huntsmen, I was hoping he might have some insight into why Salem is the way she is, why she does what she does"

"You mean you don't know?" Qrow asked surprised.

"I have a general idea as I am aware of what she wanted before, but the Salem of today is not the same Salem I met all those years ago. Something changed her and I had hoped it was something physical, something she couldn't help... but now... I need to know"

"And Slade was your best bet at doing that" Qrow sighed "I guess having her in his head all this time certainly would've given him some insight into her motives"

"I certainly hope so... what did you learn from him so far?"

"He's after the crime lord known as The Dragon. No one knows who he is, but he's got connections in this city. Anyone who speaks out against him disappears, and anyone untouchable enough not to disappear ends up being hunted down by his personal Bounty Hunters. Four Huntsmen who secretly work for him... not anymore though"

"They're dead?" Ozpin asked.

"In Atlas police custody" Qrow answered "They were after Slade, even found out who he was. But I stepped in to help him, we took them down pretty easily. It was almost like the old days for a second" he smiled lightly "But then he flipped, it's hard to tell which Slade you're gonna get"

"Salem wouldn't have been a good influence on him, he might see everything he's doing as the right thing because she's coloring his view. I don't know..."

"We can't know for certain unless we get him back to Vale and take a good look at him, get him some help"

"We will, Qrow" he placed his hand onto his shoulder "We will" Qrow looked to Ozpin and allowed a small smile.

"Thanks, Oz-" his scroll started ringing, he looked at the caller ID "Answer Me?" he read aloud confused.

"Put it on speaker" Ozpin offered, Qrow nodded doing so.

"Meet me in the alley behind the police station on the west side of town"

"Slade? What's this about-" Qrow tried to ask.

"Meet me there" Slade answered ending the call.

"I didn't know Slade knew how to hack communications" Ozpin looked surprised "He must've learned a thing or two from Mr. Torchwick"

"He's still in custody right?"

"Aboard Ironwood's airship, why?"

"I might be able to use that to my advantage. He considers Torchwick a friend, I've seen what he does for his friends"

"You think you can convince him to come back with you" Ozpin smirked.

"Yeah, we'll see how that goes. I'm gonna go meet Slade, what're you gonna do?" Qrow asked curiously.

"I'll be close by, if you need help, you need only call"

"Thanks, Oz"

* * *

"Amaranth McLaren" Slade said aloud as he stared down at her office window, she appeared to be arguing with someone but he couldn't tell who "Good thing I planted this earlier" he smirked activating the scroll hidden inside her desk. She was a tall woman with a pale complexion, brown eyes and bright red hair.

"He killed him!? My right hand man!" Amaranth yelled angrily.

"Yes, Ma'am. He entered the restaurant and took down over two dozen men and killed him, I suppose he found out about his connection to you. There are two Huntsmen in the city who seem to be hunting him" her assistant replied calmly.

"Her right hand?" Slade smirked "Looks like I've found my Dragon"

"Damn it! DAMN IT!" she yelled standing up coming face to face with the man in front of her.

"Previously he was enlisting anyone under our province to come work for him, now he just seems to be... incarcerating or killing them"

"Great, so now we've got someone who wants to destroy my business instead of running it?"

"No, Ma'am. He's still taking huge cuts from off the streets. But he's also eliminating the competition. He's coming after you"

"He doesn't even know who I am" McLaren sighed "Arugh!" she threw her large desk out of the way and walked past her assistant "You want to tell me why this guy isn't dead?"

"We're trying, Ma'am. We sent your "cleaners" to take care of him"

"Cleaners" she scoffed as she punched one of her guards in the face angrily "Guess they're gonna need a new name, all they did was make a bigger mess" she punched a second in the gut dropping him to his knees "Why haven't the other Huntsmen wiped this smear off the face of the world? Why is Ironwood letting him run amuck around town!"

"Maybe he doesn't want to, Ma'am. Ironwood doesn't know your identity, maybe he's letting you war it out. He could be waiting-"

"To take on the winner?" she asked before punching the third guard in the face "What do you think this is!? A tournament?!" she punched the fourth and final guard in the face angrily.

"I'm just saying-"

"You're an idiot, and you don't know Ironwood. He wouldn't just let this lunatic run wild, he's been trying to catch me for years and he doesn't even know who I am or what I look like. He can't catch him either!" she approached her window overlooking the city "Unless... it's something else"

"I wouldn't think too much about it" Slade's voice came through the scroll in the overturned desk surprising them "I'm just after you, Dragon" he laughed.

"How does he know that? How does he know where we are?" her assistant asked.

"Because he's right there" McLaren answered staring out the window at him on the opposite rooftop, he had a rocket launcher on his shoulder. Slade waved with his free hand. She turned and rushed out the door quickly.

"Wow, she sure can move when she really wants to" Slade fired the rocket launcher through the window, obliterating her office and giving him an easy way in. The door to the room went flying off smashing into the emergency exit, blocking McLaren's path out. Slade dropped into the room and slowly approached her as the fire moved from his path.

"It's time to end this, McLaren. I'm brining you in"

"Bringing me in? What're you supposed to be?"

"I'm a Bounty Hunter, there's a Bounty on your head. It's really a simple concept, I don't see why people keep blowing it out of proportion"

"Bounty Hunter's don't come after me, boy. They know what happens to people who oppose me"

"Well I'm not just any Bounty Hunter" Slade smirked "And you're not just any target. I couldn't start asking around for you because anyone willing to talk would either disappear or lead me into a trap. So I had to take over your business, take away your income and make you desperate. Desperate enough to use those connections of yours to send your people after me, the ones who make people disappear. So I did, and they led me back here to you. You may have thought you covered your tracks, and yeah, you covered enough to prevent me from arresting you, but I have enough evidence in that recording to put you away for a long time, and I have Ironwood's authority on this, so you won't be getting out of it" Slade explained.

she processed the information, her hair lighting up like it was on fire "You've made a big mistake coming after me"

"The five million I'm being paid will more than make up for any trouble you give me" Slade chuckled "Now are you gonna let me arrest you or are you gonna fight back?" McLaren's assistant suddenly went flying against the wall from Slade's Semblance, knocking him out "I would advise you surrender, because you really don't want to make me mad right now, It's been a rough week"

"Tell me about it" McLaren rushed toward Slade and swung her fist toward him, Slade used his wrist blade to sever her arm "Augh... ngh... ah..." she fell onto her chest in pain.

"Yeah, go ahead, you take a minute" Slade smirked, his smirk vanished when he noticed her arm slowly burning through the floor looking more like molten metal than a human arm "That's... new" Slade cocked his eyebrow.

Amaranth stood back up as her arm regenerated "You've just made the Dragon angry" she growled as her entire body seemed to hold a fire just beneath the surface of her skin, her eyes blazing red. She roared at him, her fiery breath igniting the floor between them

"Oh boy, The Dragon breathes fire! The Dragon breathes fire!" Slade rushed her blocking her strike with his left arm and punching her in the face with his right. She grabbed his right arm causing him to backhand her with his left as she punched him in the gut then the shoulder afterward. Slade grabbed her by the back of the head and forced it down toward the nearby table, McLaren grabbed the table and it began to melt at her touch, keeping her head off of it as Slade struggled against her strength. She pulled herself out of his grip and swung with her left and as he matched it with his right, their fists clashing into each other, bending McLaren's arm painfully as the bone snapped "Augh!" she groaned then realigned the bone to heal almost instantaneously.

McLaren charged Slade, grabbing him from around the waist and throwing him through the nearby elevator door onto the top of the elevator two floors down. She leapt onto the elevator with him, landing on his chest and pulling her arm back to strike.

"Goodbye" Slade passed through the elevator using his Semblance before coming back up through it forcefully slamming into her. Slade smashed through to the rooftop flipping Amaranth onto her chest as he landed. She stood up straight with a smile on her face.

"I see you have a powerful Semblance too, y'know we could work together you and I. I do need a new personal Bounty Hunter-"

Slade removed Defiance from it's holster and fired, she slid to the left then rolled to the right to dodge his bullets and punched for his abdomen as she came up from her roll. She passed through Slade, turning around she struck again, passing right through him. Slade grabbed her by her shoulders and threw her into a large air vent behind her and fired his gun at her face once more. She managed to dodge and grab his arm twisting it back toward him as it fired, Slade narrowly dodged the bullet, bending backward over the edge of the roof. Slade came back up and grabbed her head slamming it down into his rising knee before backhanding her.

McLaren grabbed Slade's arm and sliced her's through it just as he used his Semblance to pass through her arm, she managed to cut his gauntlet from his arm with her speed and smacked him across the face with it pushing him back toward the edge of the roof. She punched Slade in the abdomen dropping him onto his knee, Slade's remaining wrist blade came out as he struck for her throat, she caught his arm.

"So here we are, on the roof. I bet you didn't expect it to end for you like this? In the arms of a beautiful woman-"

"Oh, I'm sorry. I'm not really looking for a relationship right now, honey. And trust me, there's far too much crazy in that little head for you to be worth-"

"Enough!" she pulled her fist back to strike.

"Bye now" Slade waved passing through her.

"What!?" she was sent over the edge of the roof by a kick to her back.

"No!" she screamed as she fell. Slade fired the grappling hook out of his gauntlet into her back "I'd get that fire thing under control if you don't want to fall" he called down to her as several Atlas bullheads surrounded the building. Slade took the line out of his gauntlet and tied it to the metal bar next to him "Have fun in prison McLaren! I'm gonna go enjoy my five million" he smirked. Slade's gauntlet came soaring back to him with his Semblance and fit on perfectly as always, he removed his scroll from his pocket and dialed a number.

"Slade?"

"Amaranth McLaren is currently being detained by Atlas authorities. Congratulations on finally catching the infamous Dragon"

"Councilwoman McLaren? You're sure?"

"I have a lot of compelling evidence, and that was before she breathed fire at me. I guess I understand the name now"

"That's... an interesting Semblance"

"Not exactly what I would've called it. I have forwarded you the names of everyone working for McLaren prior to my takeover. Feel free to detain them and their men" Slade smirked.

Ironwood chuckled "You have been busy"

"Have you notified Ozpin about Cinder yet?" He asked ignoring his previous statement.

"I will, but he's not here right now. I'll be sure to tell him upon his return"

"Tell him immediately, he needs to know something is coming"

"I will. What do you plan on doing?"

"I have a meeting to attend" Slade answered "Transfer the funds to my account and get started drawing up those pardons. Torchwick, Neo and I are gonna be needing them before too long"

"Considering the level of destruction you've shown in my city, yes. Yes you will"

* * *

Qrow stood in the alleyway waiting impatiently "Where the hell is he?" he took a sip from his flask "It's not like him to be late"

"Hello" Slade called from behind him "I'm glad you could make it"

"You did call me to meet you here"

"I couldn't have you getting in the way of me capturing the Dragon. I wouldn't get a second chance at that. Besides, I wanted to talk with you anyway, see if you could really "Help me" like you said"

"I want to help you, Slade. I've always wanted to help you, I've never done anything to harm you since the day we met"

"Yet instead of letting me go and live my own life, free of Ozpin and Salem's endless war. You decided to chase me across Remnant for months, and for what? Because you think I need help?"

"Slade I'm sorry. I'm sorry for not telling you about Elise or about Salem when you needed to know, I'm sorry I didn't tell you more about Hunter and Cole when your team was sent after them and I am sorry for not convincing Ozpin to trust you more. I know you only left because you felt after everything you've done and everyone you lost, he still questioned your commitment"

"Yeah, he did. But those weren't the only reasons I left, Qrow. I didn't want to be a part of Ozpin's war anymore, being tricked with tales of heroism and glory just to fight and die against Salem's forces instead. That's the main reason I left all that behind"

"You left being a Huntsmen behind because you think it forces you to be against Salem?" Qrow asked surprised "I hate to break it to you, Slade. But Salem will consider you an enemy as long as you're not working for her"

"Yeah...Nobody knows that better than me" Slade threw five throwing knives at Qrow, they were easily deflected by Harbinger.

Qrow used his blade to throw the nearby dumpster at Slade, he leapt over it pushing himself off the wall. Qrow swung his blade at Slade from below, Slade planted his boots onto the blade and pushed off of it making it up to the roof in a single bound quickly followed by Qrow in crow form. Qrow transformed back into human form, tackling Slade. Slade stabbed his combat knife into his cloak trapping Qrow from moving to attack him. Slade punched Qrow in the face twice before he got free, tearing his cloak as he did and delivered a brutal punch to Slade's face.

Slade rolled away from him snatching up his knife as he did. Charging back toward Qrow, Slade rolled onto Qrow's back as he swung Harbinger for his legs. He elbowed the back of his head as he rolled over him. Slade lunged for his face getting caught between Harbinger and Qrow, he dropped the blade and caught it with his opposite hand, slicing Qrow's abdomen and hand causing him to drop Harbinger. Kicking the weapon away, he sliced the left side of Qrow's throat but not deep enough to hurt him more than a scratch. Slade grabbed Qrow and threw him across the roof to another building and followed after him, landing at the opposite end. Qrow barely managed to catch Harbinger in his grip as he flew.

"I don't want to fight you, Slade"

"All evidence to the contrary" Slade smirked beneath his mask.

The statue towering over Qrow suddenly exploded at the base, dropping it toward him. Qrow rolled out of the way as Slade charged, grabbing him from behind and placing his combat knife over his throat "Tell me, what bothers you more; that I could be like this because of Salem's influence or because of you and Ozpin's?" Qrow grabbed Slade's shoulders, flipping him over him. Slade landed on his feet and twisted around, struggling for control of the knife.

"You're ruling over Atlas through intimidation and fear, you're just another criminal"

"I've done what this city needs, the criminals are all being put away as we speak. Only the petty criminals remain and they're the ones the authorities can handle. Can you say you've done the same?"

Qrow stabbed Slade's blade into the ground and kicked him away. Rushing toward him, Slade grabbed Qrow and wrapped the grappling hook from his gauntlet around him before firing the other end to the opposite rooftop allowing it to pull him toward it, slamming Qrow's back into the edge. Slade attacked Qrow as he untangled himself, pinning him to the ground. Slade unleashed a flurry of punches into Qrow's face. After several brutal punches, Qrow caught his fist in his hand and freed his other hand from beneath Slade's boot, bashing it into his face. Qrow pinned him to the roof and removed Slade's gauntlets tossing them aside as Slade fought him all the way. Finally managing to kick him off, he stood back up only to be kicked in the chest by Qrow through the window of a nearby apartment building ending up in the bathroom.

Qrow kicked Slade in the chest as he turned around as he soared into the building behind Slade, throwing him through the ceramic bathtub, breaking it "enough, Slade. It's over!" Qrow growled.

Slade stood up and lunged for him, Qrow grabbed his arm lifted it up and slammed his shoulder into his chest knocking him into the wall. Slade bounced off the wall back into Qrow's fist in his gut, grabbing him by the face he slammed it into the opposite wall. Slade removed a sharp broken piece of tile from the wall and swung it toward Qrow. Qrow wrenched it from his hand with an upward strike then punched him in the face throwing him onto his back. Slade caught himself on his hands and pushed himself back to his feet swinging his fist at Qrow as he stepped aside. Smashing the tile wall with his fist he received a punch to the gut from Qrow before he wrapped his arm around his neck and swung him around, knocking him headfirst into the sink and toilet smashing both of them.

Slade got himself back up and got both of Qrow's fists slamming into the side of his head, then another punch to his gut followed by a knee to his face and a headbutt before being pinned to the wall. Qrow pulled his fist back and slammed it into Slade's chest throwing him back through the wall into the empty apartment Slade had been using as a safehouse. Smashing through the wall he rolled into the opposite wall before falling onto his chest as his Aura sparked.

"Ow"

"I know I failed you, so many times, Slade" Qrow slowly walked toward him "I was trying to save them, your brother, your parents, your sister, your team... I'm trying to save you now. I won't fail you again"

Slade rolled over aiming Defiance at Qrow "Is that what you think this is about? That you let them die? That you and Ozpin couldn't save them?" Slade asked as he stood back up never lowering his weapon "I don't know what clouds your judgement worse... your guilt or your Semblance making you believe everything bad that happens in this world is your fault!" They remained silent for a long time "Qrow... I forgive you, for not being able to save them, the people I cared about. I couldn't save them either, no matter how strong I got, everyone I care about ends up dead. That's why I left, that's why I work alone. So why? Tell me why you think you can "Save me" from who I am today... what makes you think I need to be saved!?"

Qrow silently stared "Because I'm the one that hurt you" a voice spoke from behind Slade.

Slade lowered his gun and scoffed "For once we agree on something" he turned toward Ozpin standing in the doorway and aimed Defiance at him.

 _What the hell is Ozpin doing here? He should be back in Vale with Ironwood_

"This is quite the reunion isn't it?" Salem asked as she appeared in the room. Slade and Ozpin's attention shifted to her, Qrow took no notice "Look at the boy! You did good, we did good!" she laughed gesturing between herself and Ozpin "He chose to leave himself you know? I didn't force him, hell I only ever mentioned working for me! But, I guess the kiddies don't always do what you'd hoped-"

"You. Out" Slade growled.

"Slade, he's only here to help-" Qrow interjected.

"He's not talking about me" Ozpin sighed "Salem's here, in his mind. We can both see her"

"That's right!" Salem laughed "Poor old Qrow doesn't even know just how badly I've affected Slade over the years, always whispering in his ear. He's been blocking me out all this time so I couldn't see or hear from his point of view, but oh can he ever hear me" she grinned.

"I said out!" Slade yelled, she suddenly vanished from view, he shook his head as she continued speaking to him.

"Slade, let me help you. I promised to find a way to separate you from Salem and I will, but I can't do that if you won't let me help you"

"Help me? You can't even help yourself" Slade scoffed "You don't even know..." he stopped himself "You should focus on what matters Ozpin, not me. Your students at Beacon believe in you, it's about time you show them why"

"What do you mean?" Ozpin asked confused "How? What would I be proving it from?"

 _C'mon, Slade. Stop holding back and use your Semblance, you can put down Qrow and Ozpin at the same time! Two birds with one stone!_ Salem ranted in his head.

 _I don't work for you, Salem. You should've figured that out by now_ Slade replied. Salem tried to argue with him but couldn't get out anything before Slade muzzled her _It's my brain you're occupying Salem, I make the rules here, not you_

Now that he had silenced Salem, he returned his attention to Ozpin "Y'know Ozpin" Slade chuckled "You've always told me to focus on what I want to achieve and eventually it'll happen. You wanna know what I want right now?" Slade closed the distance between them "I want you... dead!" he pointed Defiance under his chin ready to fire. Ozpin headbutted Slade, sliding him back toward Qrow "Oh" he laughed "You're not so hesitant to fight me anymore are you? Tell me... do you want me dead as much as I want you dead?"

Qrow grabbed Slade's weapon and forced it away from him "Slade, listen to me! I can help you!"

"There's no helping me!" Slade yelled kicking him into the wall. Turning back toward Ozpin, he found himself in the same position as before with him.

"Salem's poisoning your mind, Slade! Tempting you to do things you wouldn't normally do, I know what it's like!" Ozpin tried to reason.

"Don't pretend to understand! You don't know why I do anything anymore!" he fired Defiance forcing it out of Ozpin's grip, he twisted around, kicking Ozpin's cane as he attacked him, sliding him back slightly.

Qrow grabbed him from behind, knocking Defiance from his grip "You're a Huntsman, Slade! You've always been a Huntsman! Think about what you're doing!"

"Don't call me that! That's not what I am!" Slade flipped Qrow over his shoulder "Do you even know what Salem did to me at Beacon? The games she played in my head? This... This is a mercy compared to what she put me through! What she's been putting me through all these years!" he slammed his fist down into Qrow's chest, only to find Ozpin's cane blocking the attack once again.

Growling, Slade swung his fist for Ozpin. Ozpin blocked it with his right arm and smacked him with his cane across his face stumbling him back, Ozpin pinned him to the wall with his cane across his chest "You don't have to be what she made you, Slade! You're better than her!"

"Stop! Stop talking to me! I don't want to hear it!" Slade pushed Ozpin's cane away and tackled him to the ground as Qrow was painfully pulling himself to his feet. Slade was brutally beating Ozpin into the ground "You... did... this... to... me!" Qrow tackled him off of Ozpin.

"Slade listen to-"

"That's enough Qrow" Ozpin said standing back up "let him go" Qrow hesitantly did as he was told.

"You could've helped me Ozpin, instead you left me in the hospital for over a year! With her stuck in my head!" Slade picked up Defiance and aimed it right at Ozpin once Qrow had released him.

"It's not too late, Slade. We can fix this... together" Ozpin extended his hand toward him.

Slade stared at him in utter disbelief "No... we can't... I am done wasting time..." Slade removed a detonator from his pocket "Hope you're prepared for what comes next!" he took his armor off to reveal a suicide vest.

 _Finally!_ Salem laughed in his head.

"Slade, no!" Qrow yelled as he pushed the detonator. Ozpin grabbed Qrow and slammed his cane into the floor brining a energy shield around them as the explosion tore through the building. As the rubble settled, he lowered the shield and looked around frantically for any sign Slade survived. He found nothing but the armor plating lying on the ground in front of him "Slade..." Qrow dropped onto his knees in disbelief "He's... really gone isn't he?"

"I don't sense him anymore... I don't sense anything" Ozpin sighed "I... I don't know why he would've done this... killing himself doesn't make any sense"

"You mean, he might still be alive?" Qrow asked hopeful.

"I won't rule out the possibility, his mastery over his Semblance would allow him to pass through the explosion unharmed if he desired. I don't know... I think he's still out there"

"Then we need to start looking-"

"Qrow"

"I'm not so delusional to think he can come back from this, Oz. But someone has to stop him, before he hurts someone who's not a criminal. Salem's affected him more than I thought... the best thing I can do for him now, is make sure he doesn't become something worse before it's too late"

Ozpin smiled down at Qrow "Maybe you're right... I don't know. I won't stop you, but maybe you should come back to Vale with me first. Visit your nieces... they miss you, you know"

"I know, but I can't let Slade get away. If I lose him now, I may never get another chance like this"

"Then go" Ozpin sighed "But if I call for you, if I need you-"

"I'll be there"

* * *

 **(Several Weeks Later)**

Qrow entered the tavern tiredly, he had found proof Slade was still alive and tracked him through the Solitas countryside and into central Sanus, somewhere on the border between the kingdom of Vale and Vacuo.

"Are there any rooms still available tonight?" Qrow asked approaching the bar.

"Why yes, that'll be-"

"Just charge me and tell me my room number" Qrow interrupted handing her his card.

"Of course, that'll be the second room on the left once you're up the stairs" she handed him the key.

"Thank you" She started running his card in the computer system.

"In other news, several local charities across the four kingdoms have received anonymous donations from a "concerned citizen" reports say they received these donations with a letter from this mysterious benefactor, asking them to use it well. It's been reported the total donated so far is just under nine million. Local authorities looked into the source of these donations and traced some of the funds back to several crime lords that were arrested in Atlas last month. They swear up and down it was the Huntsman who dooped them into working for him when he was hunting the previously unknown "Dragon" now known as previous councilwoman McLaren. The newscaster reported "Just who is this mysterious Huntsman they were tricked by? Is he even a Huntsman at all? Where has he gone? Well, listeners... I doubt we've seen the last of him, and wherever he is, if he's listening. The world thanks you for what you've been doing" Qrow listened with a small smile on his face.

"Maybe he's not totally wrong..."

"Is there anything else I can do for you tonight?" she asked handing him his card back.

"No thanks, I've got it covered" he held up his flask.

Qrow walked upstairs and into his room, he didn't stay up for very long, exhausted as he was. Qrow crashed onto the bed and fell asleep within a few minutes. Unbeknownst to him, Slade watched him through the window from the rooftop of a nearby building in town. Slade removed his scroll from his coat and made a call.

"Slade? I wasn't expecting to hear from you. After the explosion in Atlas, I thought-"

"That I was dead?" Slade chuckled "That was kind of the intention, General"

"You did that?" Ironwood sighed "You blew up a building so I'd think you were dead?"

"No, General. I blew myself up and an empty building so Qrow and Ozpin would think I was dead. Didn't work, but I made an effort"

"Ozpin seemed pretty upset when he returned, he hardly let me get a word out to him before disappearing to his office"

"Yeah, I figured he'd be upset about me not coming back. He and Qrow were there in Atlas the night I blew the building"

"So McLaren didn't send anyone to pay you back for arresting her? She named you when we brought her in"

"Yeah it wasn't her, but my "Death" certainly helped in getting me out of Atlas without having to deal with anyone coming to pay me back for my work there"

"Slade... why are you calling? This doesn't sound like a social call"

"It isn't" Slade smirked "I'm just checking to see what Ozpin is doing about Cinder and her infiltrators" Ironwood remained silent "General" Slade groaned.

"Cinder, Emerald, Mercury and Neo are here as a team from Haven Academy. I can't be sure Leonardo doesn't have someone in that school working with them somehow. I've notified him of the possibility and he said he'd look into it. Until I hear back from him, I won't take another action unless absolutely necessary. We have to be careful how we handle this-"

"Exactly why Ozpin should be made aware of the situation!" Slade argued "How's he supposed to combat something like this without the proper knowledge, General"

"Ozpin has proven himself to be incompetent of making the right calls when it matters. I was placed in charge of security for the Vytal Festival for a reason"

"Cinder's no doubt mixed up with something bad for the festival, General. Ozpin needs to be made aware so he can keep on top of them, if he fails to stop them even with the information necessary to counteract them, then I'll believe his incompetence"

"He's gotten your family killed on multiple occasions, you team too. How is it you can still believe he knows what's best?"

"I don't believe he knows what's best. I just believe he knows better than you do" Slade answered.

"Then why don't you enlighten me with everything you know? Perhaps we can stop Cinder's plans before this goes any further"

"Only if you agree to tell Ozpin"

"Fine" Ironwood sighed "What is it you know?"

"Cinder's the strongest of the bunch from what I can tell. She's a master at Dust manipulation and seems to have the ability to produce fire from her hands. I don't know when she got this ability but it's not her Semblance, that much I can tell. Beyond that she's a master tactician, don't underestimate her or her plans. Emerald's Semblance is individual mental hallucinations; The ability to modify the sensory information in a person's head while their brain is processing it. She can make one or more see and hear things that aren't necessarily there. In other words, instead of generating an illusion that everyone nearby can see, she causes her target to hallucinate"

"They both sound pretty dangerous, and Cinder is definantly the infiltrator from the night of the dance" Ironwood deduced.

"Yeah, Emerald's the one I would take down first if it came to a fight, but even without her Semblance she's a formidable fighter. Mercury doesn't have a Semblance to my knowledge, but he is a very acrobatic and agile fighter. He relies on quickly overpowering his opponent with complex kicks that showed a mastery or near-mastery of martial arts. His experience and skill with his leg-based fighting style is aggressive and effective enough to drive any fighter of high caliber into a defensive position. He also possesses great speed and strength due to a pair of robotic legs, though he focuses mainly on kicks he's quite capable at using his hands in combat as well for defensive purposes as well as offensive. Mercury is observant, tactical and analytical; he notices and deduces the capabilities and limits of an opponents abilities after a single use more often than not. He's able to take in his surroundings and use them to his advantage easily, making him far more formidable than someone his age might appear, for defense he relies on quick reflexes to counter and block his opponents attacks and is capable of getting around the defense of his opponents using these reflexes. The best option to fight him is with overwhelming force and numbers" Slade explained.

"Sounds like you've seen his abilities first hand" Ironwood pointed out.

"We've had a disagreement or two in the past, certainly not as violent as some of them with Cinder have gotten for me" Slade admitted "As for Neo..." he hesitated.

"Yes, what of her abilities?" Slade remained silent, pondering if he should tell him too much about her "Slade?"

He sighed "Neo's Semblance allows her to create physical illusions that can be seen by everyone. Her illusions are perfect enough to pass as real and shatter like glass when she dispels them or someone breaks them. Neo is skilled enough to use them as misdirection during a fight, casting an illusion of herself that the opponent thinks is the real person and attacking from their blind spots. Her illusions are not limited to images of herself or others, as she can also change the appearance of her outfit or the color of her hair, eyes, and skin" he explained "Despite this, she also has proven herself to be a highly skilled combatant, she was able to keep up with me in a fight shortly after we met seemingly playing with me without getting more than a glancing hit. She has incredible reflexes and speed, easily able to dodge nearly any attack with ease even when she's fighting one handed. She is very acrobatic and exceptionally skilled in hand-to-hand combat, relying on her agility to dodge and misdirect enemy movements and attacks, before retaliating with her own kick-based attacks. She's the one I'd be most concerned about getting into a fight with unless one of them has been hiding something"

"This will help us immensely, Slade. Thank you-"

"I'm sure Ozpin will greatly appreciate the intel as well... right, General?"

"I get it, Slade" Ironwood sighed.

"Good, because if you don't tell him then I'll tell Qrow and he'll make sure Ozpin knows"

"You will do no such thing if you plan on ever getting those pardons" Ironwood threatened.

"I've held up my end of the bargain, General. Don't you pull this on me now, I don't take kindly to blackmail"

"And I don't take kindly to threats, Stroud. Now do as you're told and let me do my job. You can expect your pardons once I've arrested Cinder and her coconspirators"

"I suppose we'll see then"

"That we shall. Goodbye" Ironwood hung up.

"Shit!" Slade punched the wall next to him "Shit!" he began pacing around the roof "If I tell Qrow, Ironwood will know it was me when he goes back and he'll keep Roman and Neo locked up for good, hell he'll probably have Huntsmen around the world gunning for me" Slade sighed "But if I don't say anything and Ironwood fails to stop the attack and people get killed, I'll never be able to forgive myself... Qrow's family is there and they'll no doubt be in the tournament like I was" he shook his head "Dammit, Slade!"

* * *

Qrow awakened as the sun pierced through the open window, he groaned and covered his head with the pillow. The vase on the counter to his left suddenly shattered to pieces. Qrow leapt from the bed and hid against the wall next to the open blinds, taking a quick glance out with Harbinger in hand he noticed the street to be empty, not a person in sight.

"The hell?" he wondered standing up, he checked around quickly to see there really was no one near the building. Checking the vase, he found it on the floor "Idiot" he cursed himself "I must've knocked it over in my sleep and woke myself up-" he stopped upon trying to take a sip from his flask, an small folded piece of paper fell out of the cap when he opened it. He picked it up and looked the paper over "Qrow Branwen" he read aloud "Somebody knew I was here" he checked around the building one more time for good measure. Quickly closing the blinds to keep anyone from seeing in, he unfolded the paper.

 _Qrow_

 _You need to head back to Beacon and keep your family safe. Salem's forces have infiltrated the school. The Vytal Festival Tournament is going to be the battleground for their big reveal. Ozpin needs to know the Relic is in danger, the school is in danger. The City of Vale will soon be littered with Grimm just like a few weeks ago. Heed this warning before it is too late, show this to Ozpin. Tell no one. They have ears everywhere and sometimes your friends may not be what they seem. Remember that. I can't say more, too many people I care about could get hurt if someone other than you finds this. Keep it close, and destroy it once you've no longer any need for it._

 _-concerned citizen_

Qrow quickly placed the letter into his pocket "I need to call Oz" he stopped just before making the call "No... I can't be sure" he stuffed the device back in with the letter "I'm sorry, Slade. But I have something I need to take care of... I promise I won't abandon you, I just need to make sure my family is safe. I know you'd understand" he sighed. Little did he know, Slade heard every word.

"I know, old friend... I know" Slade whispered just outside the building, out of sight.

* * *

Ironwood is waiting with his arms crossed in Ozpin's office while Winter is impatiently pacing about. Suddenly, a smirking Qrow, accompanied by Goodwitch and Ozpin, arrive in the elevator.

"What were you thinking!?" Winter shouted angrily.

"If you were one of my men, I would have you shot!" Ironwood threatened.

Qrow pulls out his flask as the three enter the room "If I was one of your men, I'd shoot myself" came his snarky reply.

"While I wouldn't condone his behavior, retaliating like you did certainly didn't help the situation" Goodwitch pointed out.

"He was drunk!" Winter argued.

"He's always drunk!" the four turn to Qrow to see him drinking from a flask. His eyes widen when he notices them staring, and he holds the flask out to the side, looking at it awkwardly before grimacing.

Ozpin stared at Qrow in shock, then sighs and sits down "Qrow, why are you here?"

"You've been out of contact for weeks! You can't just go dark like that in the field!" Ironwood yelled.

"I'm not one of your special operatives, Jimmy!" Qrow replied in a bored tone.

"General" Winter corrected.

"Whatever. You sent me to get intel on our enemy, and I'm telling you, our enemy is here"

Ironwood leans against Ozpin's desk "We know"

"Oh! Oh, you know! Well, thank goodness I'm out there risking my life to keep you all informed!"

Ironwood exhales "Qrow-"

"Communication's a two-way street, pal. You see this?" he pulls out his scroll and points to it "That's the SEND button"

"They had reason to assume you'd been compromised" Winter revealed.

"And I have reason to assume you don't need to be here" he points to Winter "Seriously, who invited her?"

after a moment of silence, without looking at her. Ironwood spoke up "Schnee, we'll discuss this incident back at my ship"

Winter looked back at him surprised surprised "But, Sir!"

"Winter. Leave"

Winter salutes Ironwood "Yes, Sir" she turns on her heel and gives the winking Qrow a dirty look as she exits via the elevator.

Ironwood gestures to Qrow "Go on"

"Your little infiltrator isn't just another pawn. They're the one responsible for Autumn's condition" he takes a drink from his flask once more.

"What?" Glynda asked.

"Despite what the world thinks, we're not just teachers, or generals, or headmasters. The people in this room, the leaders of the other two academies, we're the ones that keep the world safe from the evils no one even knows about!" Qrow gets up in Ironwood's face "It's why we meet behind closed doors, why we work in the shadows. So you tell me, James, when you brought your army to Vale, did you think you were being discreet, or did you just not give a damn!?"

Ironwood stares down at Qrow as he places his Scroll on Ozpin's desk "Discreet wasn't working" the center of the room projects a hologram of Vale, Beacon Academy, the Amity Colosseum and Ironwood's fleet of Atlesian Airships, which he gestures to "I'm here because this is what was necessary"

"You're here because Ozpin wanted you here! He made you a part of this inner circle and opened your eyes to the real fight that's in front of us!"

"And I am grateful"

"Oh, well, you've got a real funny way of showing it"

"The people of Vale needed someone to protect them; someone who would act. When they look to the sky and see my fleet, they feel safe, and our enemies will feel our strength"

Qrow starts laughing "You... You think they're scared of your little ships? I've been out there and I've seen the things she's made, and let me tell you... they are fear"

Ozpin stands up "And fear will bring the Grimm. A guardian is a symbol of comfort. But an army is a symbol of conflict. There's an energy in the air now, a question in the back of everyone's minds..." he gestures to the display "If this is the size of our defenses, then what is it we're expecting to fight?"

Ironwood glares at them before sighing and walking forward, picking up his Scroll just as it flashes with the image of a Black Queen "So then, what would you suggest we do?"

"I suggest we find our guardian" Ozpin answered.

"That's an idea I can get behind" Qrow agreed.

"Then make the preparations. I have matters that need attending to... call me when you have need of me" Ironwood exited through the elevator. After a long moment of silence Glynda finally spoke up.

"I don't trust him"

"Me neither" Qrow sighed "I'm worried about his ability to see what's right from wrong"

"James has never steered us wrong before. I have my faith in him, but blind faith is how one makes mistakes. Keep an eye on him" Ozpin ordered turning to Glynda.

"Of course, Professor" she quickly left the room, leaving Qrow and Ozpin alone.

"Oz" Qrow called.

"What're you really doing back here, Qrow? You and I both know you weren't out gathering intel on our enemies"

"Yeah well, it's been a good cover for the majority of this year. I returned because I have important news"

"What kind of news?" Ozpin asked "Why didn't you just call me?" Qrow handed him the letter he found earlier, making a gesture to be silent.

"I think someone knows about it" Qrow answered as Ozpin unfolded the letter. He quickly read over it and looked up at Qrow in surprise.

"I see" he cocked his eyebrow questioningly "We should make sure it's handled properly then shouldn't we" Ozpin placed his scroll onto the desk and pressed a few buttons. The desk was suddenly jolted with a surge of electricity, coursing through the entire room "We have less than a minute before the backup power kicks on"

"That letter was in my flask, I couldn't chance calling you"

"Someone left you this as a warning, someone working with Salem?"

"I can't be sure, but whoever it is. They want us to win just as badly as we do"

"Agreed. Keep an eye on the students, see if you can find any with strange backgrounds. I want to know who's infiltrated my school and what they plan to do. Restrict your search to students actively participating in the tournament, anyone who makes it far is bound to be tied up in all of this-"

"Emergency power restored... secondary power restored... primary power restored" his desk chimed.

"What was that all about?" Qrow asked.

"I'm unsure. Probably just a power surge, I'll have a technician take a look later. For now you should head out and spend some time with your nieces. Prepare them for what's in store with the tournament?"

"Sounds like a good idea. I sure could've used some advice before my first tournament fight" he nodded as he headed for the door.

"I'll be sure to get rid of that tab you owe" Ozpin added referring to the letter still in his hand "Wouldn't want the owner to get behind on payments now would we? You could get them into big trouble with your habit"

"Yeah" Qrow agreed "Thanks, Oz"

Ozpin quietly left his office not long after Qrow and silently tore the letter apart in his hand into as many tiny shreds as he could. Ozpin added the paper to a trashcan as the janitor was just about to take the bag, not noticing the additional paper.

* * *

 **That's all for now guys, hope you all liked it. Next chapter will be coming as soon as possible.**


	21. Repercussions

**Merry Christmas guys! And Happy Holidays to any who don't celebrate! I got this chapter out just in time for the end of the year. I hope you guys enjoy it and thanks for reading, I appreciate it. I promise this is the last flashback chapter for now, the next chapter will bring things back to the present.**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing!**

"Speech"

 _Thoughts_

* * *

 **Chapter Twenty-One: Repercussions**

Slade had his hood up covering his face as he walked down the sidewalk through town, he stopped and looked up at the colosseum overhead along with several Atlas airships, he sighed in contentment enjoying the cool rain on his skin. Slade continued to walk, not really having a destination in mind.

 _Didn't think I'd ever step foot in Vale again voluntarily, especially this close to Beacon. I could easily bump into anyone I know here_ Slade mused.

 _Better hope Ozpin doesn't figure out you're here, he'd have a full team of Huntsmen on you faster than-_ Salem began but was cut off as Slade closed his connection to her.

 _Note to self, don't get distracted-_ Slade was wrenched from his thoughts when he felt a weight slam into his shoulder "Hey!" Slade called as he was pushed out of the way.

"My bad! Sorry!" the girl shouted back to him as she rushed away.

"That couldn't have been..." Slade let the statement hang _That looked just like the girl from the tournament match... what was her name..._ Slade pondered turning back on his path _Blake? No, that was the dark haired one. Not the Schnee, and Ruby was the other one... Qrow's nieces... Ruby... what was the other one?_

"There you are Yang!" a voice shouted from behind him. Slade turned his head toward the voice and saw the four girls together _Yang... that was the name_ he smiled lightly.

"Sorry, I got caught up-" Yang started.

"Liar" Wiess scoffed "You were off ogling boys again weren't you?" she accused.

"Was not!" Yang argued back "I was eating and lost track of time"

"Whatever the reason, we should probably get to Amity soon. The next match is starting soon" Blake pointed out.

"Right! We wouldn't want Yang to get disqualified before she even started!" Ruby shouted in agreement.

 _Team RWBY_ _... reminds me a bit of my team_ Slade chuckled lightly _They seem like good kids. I hope Qrow keeps them close when things start blowing up._

Slade's scroll started ringing "General" he answered placing the device to his ear.

"Slade, I am glad I caught you. I want you to come to Vale and speak with Torchwick. Maybe you can make him give you something, or at the very least make him slip up"

"How soon do you want me there?"

"ASAP" Ironwood answered "Can you be here as early as tomorrow?"

"I think I can manage that" Slade smirked.

"Glad to hear it. I'll arrange for transport to my personal airship first thing tomorrow morning"

"See you tomorrow, General" Slade ended the call.

 _Ironic that I chose to come to Vale so soon... I really hope you can do something to stop this Ozpin._

* * *

Ironwood entered the detention level of his airship, he walked until he reached the cell he was looking for. Opening the door he stood face to face with Roman Torchwick.

"General! I wondered when you'd be stopping by again. It's been longer than I expected"

Ironwood scoffed "It's your lucky day Torchwick, you have a visitor" he smirked.

"You mean other than you right? You've been visiting me quite a lot since you arrested-" he stopped dead as Slade came into view from behind Ironwood "-me" he stared silently in shock for quite some time.

"I'll leave you two to talk" Ironwood smiled to himself as he walked away, leaving them alone.

"Roman" Slade greeted.

"What the hell are you doing here?! You're supposed to be staying away from Vale remember? I told you-"

"You told me something big was going down and you didn't want me anywhere near it. I know" he sighed "But you and Neo are going to be near it too, that puts you in just as much danger as I am right now. If you want me to leave and stay safe, well... relatively safe anyway. You and Neo are coming with me"

"I can't do that, Slade" he sighed "You know who I work for"

"Yeah I do, she's stuck in my head 24/7 and it's no more fun now than when it started. I've already lost too many friends thanks to her, I don't plan on losing anymore"

"You really think Ironwood is just gonna let me stroll out of here? Or are you planning to spring me? You'll become public enemy number one!"

"Yeah, I know. Breaking you out is gonna be hard since I know you plan on staying right where you are"

"Then why are you here?"

"To change your mind" Slade answered crossing his arms "Ironwood made me a deal"

"What kind of deal?" Roman asked suspiciously.

"I tell him everything I know about what you and your bosses are planning and he gives me a pardon for everything I've done to date. I negotiated for you and Neo to get pardons as well"

"Let me guess, in exchange I need to tell him everything I know?"

"Nope"

"What then?"

"Before you stupidly rammed a train into the city, he was willing to just hand me the pardons. Now he refuses to unless he stops your bosses. He wants Cinder"

"You know she's not the one in charge here, Slade. Have you told him anything?"

"Everything I know. I even gave him tactical reports on each of them"

"Then why hasn't he arrested them yet?"

Slade sighed with a small shake of his head "General Ironwood believes someone infiltrated Haven Academy and is searching for the one responsible before they cut and run. He believes that's how they got their ID's to be so perfect"

Roman started laughing "So... So, the Tin Man believes if he arrests Cinder and her team the one who erased their backgrounds is going to go underground" he shook his head "He's a bigger idiot than I thought, he's willing to risk Vale over one guy?"

"So it is one then?" Slade asked shutting Roman right up.

"I've already said too much-"

"Roman" Slade groaned.

"I can't tell you anything more! I barely convinced Cinder to stop Taurus from sending his guys after you. If she even finds out I talked to you, she'll kill Neo and I"

"Then help me, Roman. If this attack never happens, neither of you will be in any danger. We'll be free to do whatever we want!"

"I... I can't, Slade. I'm sorry"

"So am I" Slade sighed.

"Get out of Vale while you still can Slade, if Ironwood doesn't stop this attack... I don't want you to get caught in the crosshairs"

"And if he does stop it?"

"Then you and I are going to be the only ones who could've revealed their identities, Taurus never would. They'll break me before long, as much as I hate to admit it"

"Because they'll use Neo as leverage over you, I know" Slade sighed "Either way I guess I am being roped back into all of this"

"Slade, no! You can't stick around!"

"What're you gonna do about it?" Slade smirked "Just don't get yourself killed, huh?" he closed the cell door.

"Slade! Slade! Come back here right now! I know you can hear me dammit!" his muffled cries could be heard as Slade walked away.

"I take it he didn't give you anything?" Ironwood asked as he approached.

"No, but he did confirm there's someone in Haven that erased Cinder's background, the same goes for everyone on their team. He's a male" Slade answered.

"Anything helps"

"He also confirmed that the attack is coming, and soon. You need to coordinate with Ozpin to make the arrests before it's too late"

"After the incident with Ms. Xiao Long last night, perhaps you're right"

"Incident? Xiao Long? Like Tai Yang Xiao Long? Qrow's old teammate"

"The very same" Ironwood sighed "She broke Mercury Black's leg last night during her match after the matched was called in her favor. She swears he attacked her first, but the recording shows otherwise"

"Mercury... you're telling me that she broke a metal leg? Emerald must've caused her to see him attacking her!"

"I'm aware of that"

"You haven't told Qrow have you" Slade stated instead of asking.

"No I didn't, I thought it better to keep it to myself so as not to induce a panic amongst the people"

"Oh, so you let them believe his niece brutally broke a defenseless kid's leg after she won the match against him which is sure to scare people"

"Don't worry about it Slade, I disqualified her team from the tournament so no one would worry about it"

"Oh yeah, I feel so much better. Do you actually have a brain inside that head of yours? Or do you always let the other one do the talking?"

"Slade" Ironwood growled.

"You cannot obviously believe that everything is fine since you removed her from the tournament, your army being here already has people on edge enough let alone-"

"If you'll excuse me, Stroud. I have a call to make"

"Better be to Ozpin"

"It's to Leonardo. Don't worry, I will tell Ozpin tonight when I see him"

"I'll believe it when I see it"

"Excuse me?"

"I'm just saying I've heard all this before. If Emerald and Mercury faked his injury, it's for a reason. Whatever their planning is coming to a head. I hope you're ready for that" Slade walked past him to exit the airship.

Ironwood sighed as he passed "Fine"

"Hmm?" Slade looked back over his shoulder.

"Stay here and I'll make the call, just let me call Leonardo first"

"Do it"

Ironwood made the call, they both waited patiently for him to pick up "James?" Leonardo asked.

"I have information that should help expedite your search for the infiltrator of your school"

"That would be most appreciated, what did you find?"

"Torchwick slipped up, he confirmed there is someone there and they're a male. Any of your suspects that're female can officially be crossed off the list"

"That's good, that's very good. That will certainly narrow the search. Mind telling me where you got this information?"

"I told you, Torchwick slipped up"

"I mean originally, James. How did you find out someone infiltrated my school? Did Torchwick tell you?"

"No I-" he stopped as he watched Slade shake his head at him "I got it from a trusted source"

"Perhaps you could lend them to me? I could certainly use the help in finding-"

"Sorry, Leo. They're not exactly the type to follow orders. They just give me information when they feel they have something to gain from it, which in this particular case they did. I'll reach out though, see if they're interested. They'll call if they are"

"That'll have to do I suppose. Thank you for the information, I will put it into action at once"

"Take care of yourself, Leo"

"You as well, James. These are dangerous times it seems" he ended the call.

"There happy?" Slade asked.

"Yes, I will call Ozpin now, so you can relax"

"I'll relax when they're behind bars and I'm drinking in one" Slade replied. Ironwood placed the call waiting as it rung "Did Leo seem nervous to you, General?"

"Of course, wouldn't you be if you found out someone snuck into your school under your watch and erased the records of four people?"

"I suppose you're right"

"That's odd" Ironwood looked confused.

"What is?"

"He rejected my call"

"That doesn't sound like Ozpin, could he be busy?"

"That man is always busy, that doesn't seem to stop him from answering calls" he called again "Still now answer"

"Then go see the man in person, if you can't reach him, you need to tell him yourself"

"I need to make a quick stop at the arena for the next match, after that I will stop by his office. In the meantime I will keep trying"

"I didn't know you cared about the fights" Slade cocked his eyebrow.

"I have a vested interest in this particular match"

* * *

Cinder and Emerald walked into the arena to take their seats, suddenly her scroll rang with a notification.

"What is it?" Emerald asked as they sat down.

"It appears the General is making a call to good old Leonardo" she smirked "Having access to his scroll really is quite helpful" she laughed, she began listening in on the call "Cover for me Emerald"

"Yeah" Emerald used her Semblance to keep anyone in earshot from hearing them.

"James?" Leonardo asked.

"I have information that should help expedite your search for the infiltrator of your school"

"That would be most appreciated, what did you find?"

"Torchwick slipped up, he confirmed there is someone there and they're a male. Any of your suspects that're female can officially be crossed off the list"

"That's good, that's very good. That will certainly narrow the search. Mind telling me where you got this information?"

"I told you, Torchwick slipped up"

"I mean originally, James. How did you find out someone infiltrated my school? Did Torchwick tell you?"

"No I-" he stopped "I got it from a trusted source"

"Perhaps you could lend them to me? I could certainly use the help in finding-"

"Sorry, Leo. They're not exactly the type to follow orders. They just give me information when they feel they have something to gain from it, which in this particular case they did. I'll reach out though, see if they're interested. They'll call if they are"

"That'll have to do I suppose. Thank you for the information, I will put it into action at once"

"Take care of yourself, Leo"

"You as well, James. These are dangerous times it seems" he ended the call.

"It would seem that Torchwick accidentally gave the General some info" Cinder grinned.

"Is that going to be a problem?"

"No, Leonardo is going to continue his false search for an infiltrator at Haven when he knows full well it's been him all along" her face turned serious "It's this source I am concerned about, apparently the General obtained the information originally from a source feeding him information. If his source knows about the traitor at Haven, who's to say he doesn't know about us?"

"If Ironwood knew anything we wouldn't be having this conversation right now"

"I know that. That's why I am going-" she stopped.

"What is it?"

"He's calling Ozpin"

"He has to know something"

"Whatever it is, he won't be telling Ozpin" she swiped her finger across the screen, ending the call "That should buy us enough time to finish what we came here for. After all, Ms. Nikos is going to be helping us isn't she?" Cinder grinned looking up at his airship, soon finding a transport making it's way toward the colosseum "He wouldn't dare miss out on his new toy in action"

* * *

Slade stood outside of a bar, leaning against the doorway, his hood and mask covering his face. The bar was filled to the brim with people, watching the Vytal Festival match on the TV, not wishing to risk being recognized by anyone he kept to the shadows, his face covered and didn't make eye contact as people passed by him.

He watched the match with great interest. a fight between Pyrrha Nikos and Penny Polendina in Amity Colosseum hovering high above the city.

Pyrrha spins wildly as she deflects and dodges each sword, until she gets close enough to Penny to deliver a few slashes with the spear, sending her flying back as Pyrrha bats aside the blades called to their wielder's aid. Penny slides to a stop and makes a new series of motions, the weapons folding up until she's circled by several laser rifles, a few of which open fire on the approaching champion. Pyrrha avoids the blasts and fights off the remaining swords with her xiphos until she slides into position to charge at Penny and knock her back. Pyrrha straightens with a victorious grin that disappears into dizziness, just as she sees Penny rocketing forward, weapons firing behind her like a jetpack so she can leap into the air, then come down as an energized meteor on her opponent.

Rolling back to her feet, Pyrrha doesn't expect a sword to knock her shield off, then another to do the same for her blade. She tries to get the latter back with her magnetism, but has to use the power to send a flying sword back at Penny's side. It disappears behind Penny, only for her to grin and raise her arms as several appear above her, aimed to strike.

Penny sends them all forward, few in reality and hundreds strong in Pyrrha's mind, who is left with no choice but to spread her arms and send out a magnetized shockwave. Each blade is sent reeling back to Penny, who is also unintentionally affected by the Semblance attack. Pyrrha only has a brief moment to understand what's happening before Penny's arms are spread wide as she gasps, the strings attached to her own weapons curling around her left arm and midsection, which are crumpled by the force with the ease of an aluminum can.

There was a brief silence broken by the wire slicing through the electronics in Penny's torso, shocking Pyrrha, and the entire stadium watching the now unmoving swords drop to the ground. A piece of fabric flutters to the arena floor, only to be pinned by the point of a falling blade, away from the torn halves of Penny Polendina. Pyrrha stares in abject horror, eyes wide and mouth agape.

Slade watched in shock from his place far below the events happening right in front of him, everyone in the bar looked on in horror, Slade could feel the negativity in the room rising by the second.

 _Not good_ he stepped away from the bar and looked up at Amity from his place "C'mon, Ironwood. Do something..." he looked back to the screen in the bar to see the live feed was still going "Oh no..." Slade realized what was happening "This is what Cinder wanted" an ominous bright red and black queen chess piece appeared on the screen in the bar before an unwelcomely familiar voice spoke through the TV speakers.

"This is not a tragedy. This was not an accident. This is what happens when you hand over your trust, your safety, your children, to men who claim to be our guardians but are in reality nothing more than men. Our academies' headmasters wield more power than most armies, and one was audacious enough to control both" Slade cursed under his breath at Ironwood's stubbornness, he rushed through the streets away from the bar.

"They cling to this power in the name of peace, and yet, what do we have here? One nation's attempt at a synthetic army mercilessly torn apart by another's star pupil. What need would Atlas have for a soldier disguised as an innocent little girl? I don't think the Grimm can tell the difference. And what, I ask you, is Ozpin teaching his students? First, a dismemberment, now this? Huntsmen and Huntresses should carry themselves with honor and mercy, yet I have witnessed neither" Slade made it to the top of the largest building he could find, looking out toward the trees outside the city, he saw flashes of gunfire, the Grimm Goliaths towering over the trees from afar _Think, Slade, think!_

"Perhaps Ozpin felt as though defeating Atlas in the tournament would help people forget his colossal failure to protect Vale when the Grimm invaded its streets. Or perhaps this was his message to the tyrannical dictator that has occupied an unsuspecting kingdom with armed forces. Honestly, I haven't the slightest clue as to who is right and who is wrong, but I know that the existence of peace is fragile, and the leaders of our kingdoms conduct their business with iron gloves. As someone who hails from Mistral, I can assure you the situation there is equally undesirable. Our kingdoms are at the brink of war, yet we, the citizens, are left in the dark. So, I ask you, when the first shots are fired, who do you think you can trust?" Slade turned his gaze upward to see Grimm swarming around Amity and Ironwood's airships overhead "Dammit!" he shouted removing his scroll from his pocket, he attempted to call Ironwood but the line was busy "Shit!" he pocketed the device and looked around as the civilians panicked, running through the streets as a loud alarm started blaring.

"C'mon, Slade. Don't overthink this... focus... go for the source" Slade rushed toward the nearest TV station and broke into it through a nearby window. Rushing through the halls until he found the broadcast station. Connecting his scroll to the device, he began searching through the history until he found the Vytal Festival match most recently aired. He bounced through the signals trace to find Cinder's scroll "She's moving into the city... okay... I can do this" he disconnected his device and rushed back out of the building.

 _Easy plan, find Cinder, stop her, let Oz and Ironwood figure out the rest. I have to trust they can handle this_ he told himself as he made his way over the rooftops, making his way to Cinder's location.

Before long Slade found Cinder, Emerald and Mercury all standing at the edge of a building, watching the chaos beneath them "Got you-urgh" he was tackled to the ground by a Beowulf. Slade's right arm was pinned to the ground, the creature roaring in his face "My, what large teeth you have" Slade stabbed his wrist blade from his left gauntlet into it's neck, kicking the creature off of him with his boots to it's chest. Standing back up, he looked to see his target entered a Bullhead hovering at the edge of the rooftop "No you don't" Slade reached out with his Semblance to stop it. Suddenly, Slade's arm was grabbed by a scorpion tail wrapping around it, throwing him from the rooftop "No!" he shouted as the Bullhead flew toward Beacon.

Slade slammed into the ground painfully, looking up he found a shadow leaping down toward him. Slade rolled back as the figure's laugh echoed through the streets, avoiding being impaled by his tail.

"So nice to finally meet you" the strange man laughed.

"And who might you be?" Slade asked standing back up straight, Defiance in his hand, pointing back at the man.

"Tyrian Callows, at your service" the man bowed toward him "I've been eager to meet you for a long time, Slade Stroud"

"One of Salem's goons then, can't say I share the sentiment" Slade sighed "Sorry, but I don't have time for you right now. I've got an appointment to keep with Cinder-" he shifted out of the way of a bullet soaring past his face. Twisting toward his attacker, he found one of Ironwood's mechanical soldiers aiming toward him, firing Defiance into it's head dropped the construct on it's back "The hell?" Slade asked confused.

Tyrian laughed loudly "You're funny, Slade. Cinder never mentioned you were funny"

"Perhaps because she's a humorless shrew, Why did that soldier just attack me?" Slade asked angrily aiming his gun toward Tyrian.

"It just means Torchwick and his little mute friend accomplished their end" Tyrian answered with a shrug "Ironwood brought an army with him here to Vale, just like we planned. Most of that army is made up of his little toys" he chuckled "Using a virus we were able to appropriate his toys from him so we could play with him. Taurus and his pets have already gotten started tearing down Beacon"

Slade thought back to his vision of the girls and Adam in a burning Beacon from years ago _I have to call Qrow._

"So... let's see here. We've got, Grimm, Atlas Mechs, White Fang, and our queens loyal servants all against a handful of Huntsmen, a handful of Atlas soldiers, and an army of undertrained wannabes" Tyrian grinned.

"You're not going to win. Salem's tried many times before, she might make progress. Win a battle here and there. But nothing is going to stop Ozpin from destroying her. She will never win against someone like him"

"What makes you so sure of that?" he asked, his grin never leaving.

"Salem doesn't care about anyone or anything but herself, Ozpin cares for everyone, even if sometimes it doesn't always look like it... I still believe in him. Despite what I have lost because of his actions"

"How disappointing, she always said you were deluded" he shook his head with a look of disappointment on his face "Well, at least no one has ever said you weren't strong. I'll still get some enjoyment out of-" Slade threw him backward using his Semblance, pulling out his scroll quickly and attempting to call Qrow. Tyrian's tail swatted the device from his hands, Tyrian's wrist blades embedded into the road as he slid to a stop "How rude, trying to ignore me isn't going to work" he grinned maliciously.

"I don't have time for you, Tyrian. I have more important things to do"

"By all means, try and ignore me, Slade. I'll just find my own enjoyment, maybe go after another Huntsman... Qrow Branwen sounds like an interesting one" he grinned. Slade glared, knowing what he was trying to do.

 _If I try and go after Cinder he'll go after Qrow. If I warn Qrow about Adam, he might be able to save his niece... but either way Cinder is still a problem and Tyrian is going to stop one of us... If I warn him and go after Cinder, Tyrian will still go after him and his nieces might not get away from the fight alive... think... think... there has to be something I can do here_

"Trying to think of a way out of this won't get you anywhere, Slade. The only way you'll be able to accomplish anything, is if you go through me first" he charged forward.

Slade's wrist blades shot out as he blocked two strikes from Tyrian's own, he swept his legs for Tyrian's. Tyrian leapt up and slammed his heel down onto the ground as Slade slid out of the way, firing Defiance at Tyrian. He leapt backward, catching himself on one hand before sliding on his heels, crouched down for another attack. Leaping at Slade, he was thrown backward by his Semblance.

Using his wrist blades, Tyrian slid to a stop as Slade leapt toward him slashing for his head. Tyrian ducked, then twisted around Slade as he fired his right gauntlet at him. Slade turned back toward him and swung for his head, Tyrian rolled underneath Slade as he twisted for a strike with his opposite arm. Thrusting his right arm at Slade's back, he clashed with his left gauntlet, reaching around his back before twisting around to face him. Slade fired Defiance as he turned, Tyrian simply blocked the round with his tail and slammed his shoulder into Slade, throwing him backward.

Grinning, Tyrian began firing rounds from both the weapons on his wrists. Slade struggled to block them with his gauntlets from his place on the ground, using his Semblance to redirect a few away from him as he stood. Tyrian heard footsteps behind him, leaning backward as he fired he saw two Atlas soldiers making their way down the street, stopping upon the fight in front of them.

"What's going on here!?" one of them asked.

Tyrian stopped firing and rushed toward the soldiers with a sadistic grin on his face, slashing toward them. His blades met only Slade's left gauntlet being held out in front of him, Tyrian placed his second hand up with his blade and pushed against Slade as he did the same with his right, pushing Tyrian back slightly.

"Get out of here, focus on keeping the civilians safe!" Slade ordered before pushing Tyrian with all of his strength backward.

"Yes, Sir!" one of the men called back thinking he was taking orders from a Huntsman, they both rushed off back toward the fighting.

"You cannot protect everyone, Slade" Tyrian laughed "So many people are going to die today, and there's nothing you can do to stop it"

"I can sure as hell try" Slade slammed his head into Tyrian's knocking him backward. Tyrian's tail stuck into him as he used his Semblance to pass through it, stepping around it he slammed his heel into Tyrian's wrist as he blocked. Slade leapt over Tyrian as he fired at him, Slade blocked every shot with his gauntlets as he soared over him, firing Defiance as he landed. Tyrian ducked back away from the bullet as it pass over him, kicking Defiance out of his grip.

Slade used his Semblance to catch the weapon in the air, brining it back toward him. Tyrian's tail embedded itself into his chest passing right through him, Defiance abruptly crashed into the floor as Slade leapt away from Tyrian. Tyrian laughed loudly as he kicked Defiance away from them both "So... you can pass through solid objects and manipulate the world around you but not at the same time. Interesting" Tyrian grinned.

 _He's already figured out the limits to my Semblance, and he's not just keeping up with me, he's toying with me. I'm struggling to keep ahead of him and he's barely even trying_ Slade clenched his teeth in anger _What am I supposed to do here? I need to defeat him before I can help anyone..._

"Its about time I stop playing around isn't it? We should really wrap things up"

"I was hoping you would say that. You're starting to bore me"

"Bold words!" Tyrian laughed "Let's see you back them up"

 _Here's to hoping I can_ Slade charged forward, firing his gauntlets at Tyrian.

Tyrian's tail blocked each round and fired his own back at him around his Tail. Slade used his Semblance to stop the bullets before they touched him as he continued firing. Slade was suddenly shaken by a tremor ripping through the city, he fell onto his side, Tyrian wrapped his tail around a streetlight to keep himself level.

"The end is near" he laughed.

Slade looked up to see a Wyvern flying overhead, toward Beacon "Not if I have anything to say about it!" Slade reached his right arm out toward the Wyvern using his Semblance to grab it.

"You can't stop this!" Tyrian leapt at Slade only to find himself floating above the ground, unable to move. Slade had used his opposite hand to catch him with his Semblance "Gotcha" Slade smirked.

The Wyvern turned it's head back at Slade and roared in anger "Focus" Slade breathed out "I can do this" a large explosion knocked Slade over, freeing the Wyvern and Tyrian from the grip of his Semblance "No!" Slade rolled out of the way of Tyrian's strike. Looking to the source of the explosion, he found Ironwood's ship nosediving into the ground "Roman... Neo..." He breathed out.

"I do hope they made it out alright. They've been so very helpful" Tyrian grinned, watching as Slade's anger boiled over.

"I've had enough of you!" he turned and attempted to grab Tyrian with his Semblance, he missed as Tyrian redirected his hand with his tail, slamming his fist into Slade's abdomen then kicking him in the face. Tyrian grabbed Slade by his face and threw him behind him. Slade rolled to his feet as he grabbed Defiance and fired back at Tyrian. Laughing all the while, Tyrian approached while blocking each round with his tail. Slade passed through Tyrian using his Semblance as he struck for his chest. Using his Semblance he attempted to throw Tyrian, but was stopped by his tail striking him across the face.

Tyrian twisted around wildly, kicking Defiance from Slade's hand and slamming his fist into the other side of his face. Slade blocked the next three strikes, barely managing to keep his hands up from the force of his attacks. Tyrian smashed his knee into Slade's abdomen then his heel into the back of Slade's knee. Using his Semblance, Slade passed through his tail striking for his chest and rolled through Tyrian. Pulling his leg toward him as he stood back up, he slammed his heel into Tyrian's chest as he stood, his tail blocking the strike as Tyrian slammed his fist into Slade's throat.

Slade dropped onto his knees, coughing painfully through Tyrian's manic laughter "I told you, nothing was going to stop this" A black oval shaped corridor appeared behind him, a figure exited the corridor. The figure wore a black coat that swayed slightly from the draft. It had a silver zipper keeping the coat closed, black gloves and knee-length boots with silver trimming and high concave indentations in the top. The coat had a hood covering the figure's face but the physique defined the figure as a male.

"Time to go already?" Tyrian asked frustrated "Things were just getting fun!" The man crossed his arms over his chest "You're right, she wouldn't like to be kept waiting. Until we meet again, Slade" he stepped through the corridor with the hooded man as it disappeared.

"That's a new one" Slade stood back up using his Semblance to call Defiance and his scroll into either hand. His scroll had a few bullet holes in it "Come on!" he tossed it aside angrily "I've got to get to Beacon"

"Slade?" Ironwood called from his right. Slade turned toward him to see his clothes were damaged greatly, his cybernetic side shining in the moonlight "Thank goodness you're alright-"

"You idiot!" Slade growled pointing Defiance at him.

"Woah, hold on now" Ironwood tried.

"I gave you so many chances, General! I told you this was going to happen, I told you who was going to do it and I told you to tell Ozpin and you didn't do a damned thing!"

"I know..." Ironwood's gaze was downcast "I should've listened to you, but right now I need your help. Beacon is under attack-"

"Yeah, I noticed! The Wyvern flying overhead wasn't a dead giveaway!" he shouted exasperated "Where's Qrow and Ozpin?" Slade asked.

"Qrow is here, making sure the Grimm don't overrun the city while we're still evacuating. Ozpin is at Beacon... I am surprised you're not asking about Roman and Neo"

"I already know where they are" Slade growled gesturing to his crashed ship "It looks like they won't be needing those pardons, General" he seethed.

"I-"

"No, I don't want to hear it. They're just two more people I cared about who're dead now, I will mourn them later. We need to keep our heads on straight if we don't want to end up like them. Right now we need to focus on stopping Cinder, what's the situation here in the city?"

"My soldiers are doing what they can, but we're moving them to Beacon to secure the area, local Huntsman are taking care of the Grimm here and the destruction of my ship brought the control of my forces out of Cinder's. I could use your help-"

"I won't be following anymore of your orders, General" Slade shook his head "I need to get to Beacon, that Wyvern isn't going to stop itself, and Cinder is going to go after the Relic beneath the school. You and Ozpin need to make sure she doesn't get it, I will handle the Wyvern" Slade turned away from him.

"There's something else, Slade"

"What?" he asked without turning back toward him.

"Amber... the Fall Maiden is being hidden beneath the school. If Cinder goes after the Relic, she could steal the rest of her power and get the Relic.

"The rest?" Slade asked confused.

"Cinder's ability to control fire comes from the power she stole from Amber already when she attacked her. Qrow saved Amber's life but she's been comatose since then. Only the Fall Maiden can unlock the vault beneath Beacon to get the Relic"

"Of course" Slade placed his hand on his forehead and shook his head in annoyance "Then I guess you better get Qrow and get moving after her. You both know where the Maiden is, make sure she cannot get the rest of her power or we've already lost. Somebody still needs to take down that Wyvern or it's just going to keep calling more Grimm to Beacon and generating more while it waits to defend itself" he explained.

"Right, we'll see you there then"

"I hope we all live long enough" Slade sighed "I am going to need a ride"

* * *

Adam Taurus looked down at Blake with a small smirk "Just remember, Blake. You're the one who caused this" he walked toward Yang's unconscious form ready to strike.

"No!" Blake forced herself between them painfully, trying to keep Yang safe.

"Why must you hurt me, Blake?" Adam asked with a small frown, Adam suddenly soared through the nearby window, bouncing a few times as he slid to a stop on his side a few feet away from the building he was just inside. Blake looked to her left to see a figure rushing through the shattered window after him, she couldn't make out who he was because of his hood but she wasn't about to let this opportunity go to waste. Blake grabbed Yang and painfully made her way out of the other end of the building rushing to find help for her friend.

Adam returned to his feet, glaring back in the direction of his attacker, the figure stood before him with his arms crossed over his chest "Been a long time, hasn't it Taurus?"

"I was hoping we'd meet again, Slade" Adam smirked.

"The feeling is NOT mutual, Taurus. You've always been rather supercilious"

"Big words" Adam feigned surprise "I'm surprised you even know what that word means, spending all your time saving the lives of the scum of humanity every waking hour, where do you find the time?"

"Condescending" Slade replied.

"Very good, you've learned something after all"

"Arrogant, self centered, moronic" Slade listed on his fingers.

"That's not exactly-"

"Oh, I'm not defining it for you. These are other things that you are" Slade smirked beneath his mask, Adam growled in annoyance.

"You won't be talking much longer when I cut your tongue out, Cinder should've killed you when she had the chance"

"Maybe so, but she didn't and now I am your problem. You're a problem of mine I don't intend to allow to hurt anyone else, but I have a date with that Wyvern up there and I'd hate to be late on the first date. It's important to make a good first impression you know"

"You'll have to beat me if you plan on getting anywhere near it"

"I figured you'd say that" Adam held his blade ready to attack as Slade did the same with his wrist blades. Adam rushed toward Slade, slicing his blade toward his throat clashing with his own blades.

"Much faster than I expected you to be" Adam admitted with a smirk, he saw Blake retreating with Yang in her arms.

"You cannot afford to be distracted" Slade warned sliding his wrist blade to the left then kicking his abdomen throwing him back into a nearby tree.

"Guess I don't have much choice" Adam groaned lifting himself out of the indentation left behind "I'll just have to kill you first"

"Give me your best shot"

Adam charged forward with a downward strike, Slade blocked it easily countering with a horizontal slash for his legs forcing him back a step. Lurching forward he attempted to impale Slade only to be sidestepped and elbowed in the face. Striking downward once more he was blocked yet again, forcing his blade up he left himself an opening to attack Slade, slicing for his chest. Slade jumped back then shifted his head to the right narrowly avoiding his strikes. Slicing outward he forced Adam back several feet to avoid his attacks, he struck hard for his head clashing with his own.

"I was expecting more from you" Adam taunted head-butting him to the floor.

Adam spun his blade around thrusting it for his chest, Slade used his gauntlets to catch the blade between them. Pushing his blade back he stood up, sliding back away from another strike.

"Why're you resisting this, Slade? Why're you fighting against us when you abandoned these people before?" Adam asked lowering his blade, genuinely curious.

"My friends are strong, Adam. Strong enough to protect themselves without me. I was the one placing the people I care about in danger, my absence kept them safe" Slade answered honestly.

"You left to protect them?" he laughed "You're deceiving yourself if you think you can protect someone by not being present" he shook his head lightly "Be honest with yourself, Slade. You've had plenty of chances to change your lot in life, to live happily somewhere. Yet you continue seeking out fights, battling those you believe are wrong, protecting those who cannot protect themselves... you do it, not because you're a true Huntsman at heart. You do it because you like the grateful eyes, the accolades, the rewards, the reverence. You want people to like you, to be the hero in everyone's story"

"You think I do this because I want to be a hero?" Slade asked surprised "I'm no hero! I get people killed and I leave people behind to suffer the pain of losing them! Hero's save people, they don't cause pain!" he clenched his fists.

"So what, you're the monster then?" Adam asked with a smirk.

"You're the monster, Adam. You, Cinder, Salem, all those who follow her, those who seek to destroy our world. You're all the monsters! That is the role you all seem determined to play, so it seems that I must play mine!"

"Your role?" Adam asked "What exactly is your role then?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Slade asked cocking his eyebrow "I'm the one who stops the monsters"

Adam leapt toward Slade, he slashed Wilt at his face at him as Slade blocked with his right blade. Slashing down, Slade flipped backward away from the strike before leaping forward, slashing his left blade for Adam's chest. Adam slashed outward at Slade, clashing with his blade and pushing him back a few inches as he flipped back onto his right hand, blocking Adam's second strike with his left. Slade placed his left hand down and spun around Adam as he pulled his right arm up. Adam thrusted Wilt at Slade as he did receiving and powerful kick to his face, throwing him back and cracking his mask lightly.

"Why're you getting in my way!? Blake isn't one of your friends! She's none of your business!" Adam yelled angrily.

"None of that matters to me, Adam. I don't care who you are, I won't let someone just kill you for no good reason! I'd do the same for you if the roles were reversed!" Slade answered.

"Liar!" Adam yelled.

Slade flipped backward away from Adam's strike, then leapt over his head to avoid the second one, pulling Defiance from his holster, he turned to find Wilt being launched at him. Slade blocked with his left gauntlet, kicking the blade back at Adam. Adam stepped aside, catching the blade by it's hilt as it passed by.

"Enough!" Adam yelled as Slade leapt toward him. Adam blocked his strike, countering with three of his own. Slade blocked all three interchanging between his gauntlets. Adam slashed down at Slade clashing with his right gauntlet as he did and grabbing him by the same arm with his open hand. Slade grabbed Wilt's hilt and kept himself steady as Adam tried to force him to lose his balance. Slade smashed his head into Adam's, knocking him back a few steps. Adam unleashed his Semblance at Slade, who blocked it by absorbing it with his own Semblance.

Slade dropped onto his knees in exhaustion after doing so, Adam grabbed Slade by the throat angrily. Slade stabbed both of his wrist blades into Adam's chest, forcing him onto his knees, releasing him. Slade slammed his heel into Adam's face, throwing him backward, sliding to a stop painfully.

"You can't win, Adam, you're not strong enough" the roar of the Wyvern ripped through the air. Slade turned and looked up to Ozpin's office, watching the Wyvern perched there, he could see white glyphs on the side of it, a red blur rushing up the side of the tower. Slade reached out with his Semblance to grab the Wyvern, it's head turned toward him in anger.

"No time like the present-urk!" Slade looked down to find Wilt through his abdomen.

"You got distracted, Slade" Adam grinned behind him.

"No... I decided you weren't worth my time" Slade continued to focus on the Wyvern, forcing himself to tear it apart. He didn't honestly know if he could accomplish his goal, but he sure as hell was going to try "AUUUUURGH!" he dropped onto his knees in pain, Adam stabbed him through his chest once more.

"You can't stop this, Slade. Give up. You're done"

"No... I've only just begun... I will protect these people... starting with you!" he looked up at the Wyvern, using his Semblance once again.

"Nothing you do now is going to change anything if you die. Just what do you think you're going to accomplish? Why force yourself to protect such small minds? These people, they won't change the world, they won't change the life of somebody else, all they ever do is cause pain on those different from them. They're small, insignificant!"

"They've never been small to me... they're everything... they're what drives me..." Slade stood back up, Adam removed Wilt and watched "Don't make assumptions about how far I will go to protect them, because I've already come a very long way!" he focused on his task and ignored all else.

"You're a fool, an idiot who can't see past his blinding sense of morality"

"Of course" Slade chuckled, coughing through it "Everyone knows that" he smirked.

Suddenly a bright flash of light erupted from Ozpin's office covering everything in sight, Slade released the Wyvern and covered his eyes. The light made it's way closer, but everything was going dark, Slade fell unconscious onto his back. Adam ran as the light covered Slade.

* * *

Slade's eyes opened, it was still dark out, he could hear the Grimm closing in on him. Forcing himself to his feet, surprised at the lack of pain he felt, he slashed through the Ursa to his right, beheading it. Looking around, he saw many Grimm present but felt no Huntsmen or anyone around him. Slade rushed away from Beacon, slicing through any Grimm in his way, reaching the trees as he fired Defiance back at the Grimm pursuing him.

 _You don't need to fight them, Slade. They're not chasing you anymore_ Salem's voice echoed in his head.

"forgive me for not listening to the demon in the back of my head" Slade said climbing one of the nearby trees, he removed his armor and checked over himself, to see there was no trace of his injuries "What happened?" he wondered.

 _That light you saw is what healed you, Slade_ Salem answered him.

"That light? What was it?"

 _Silver eyes_ Salem answered appearing in front of him.

"What?"

"Silver Eyes are a rare trait. People born with them generally don't even know about them, but those who become Huntsmen... they're usually able to tap into that power to obliterate darkness, like the Grimm... It can even heal someone like it did for you, but that's not typical"

"Why? How can it destroy and create at the same time?"

"Creation and destruction are two sides of the same coin, Slade. Darkness and Light are the same in as many ways as they're different. Darkness can restore like the light can, both can forestall or create something new. Light can destroy things just like the darkness, just the same as both can heal those broken around them"

"So, Silver Eyes... they create raw light energy?" Slade asked.

"They use the very same power that the God of Light once possessed. They're the only remnant of that God that remains in our world, much like the Grimm are the only remnant of the God of Darkness"

"Remnant... that's what we call our world... is that why?"

"I don't know, but it's unlikely" Salem answered "The name wasn't around when I was young, but it's been used for far longer than I can remember"

"What happened?" Slade asked.

"What do you mean?" Salem turned back toward him as he placed his armor back on.

"What happened after I passed out, what was the outcome of the battle?"

Salem sighed as Slade leapt down from the tree and begun walking "Cinder defeated Ozpin and brought him to me. I killed him, he'll remain that way for a time until he returns" Salem disappeared from his view, appearing further ahead of him, leaning against a nearby tree "Qrow managed to rescue his niece from Ozpin's tower, many of the students of Beacon and from the other schools seem to have made it out alive. Pyrrha Nikos is the only fatality I know for certain, Cinder was the one to deliver the killing blow"

"The girl from the tournament match" Slade sighed "Damn"

"Yes. Much of Ironwood's forces were killed by the Grimm. Civilians were killed or injured as well, but not as many as I expected"

"So you failed... right?" Slade asked hopeful.

"Well I don't have the Relic yet. So yes, I failed in that aspect, Cinder was hurt by that girl with her damned eyes. The Wyvern is stuck in stone now, unable to do anything on it's own... but Vale has fallen, Beacon has fallen, everyone blames Ironwood for the catastrophe. Atlas has closed itself off from the rest of the world, and your dear friend Roman Torchwick is dead"

"Neo as well?" Slade asked sadly.

"No, she remains. Though I don't know where... what is it you plan to do now?"

"What else is there to do?" Slade asked "I've already fought against you at every turn and all I get are dead friends... but that's not going to stop me"

Salem looked at him curiously "You plan on resisting me even still?"

Slade smirked "Qrow will have a plan. He'll do something, and I know Ozpin will be back sooner or later, and when he is... he will do what has to be done to restore order, to stop you. I will keep my eyes and ears open... I will do what I need to do to keep you from having more people like the White Fang to help you accomplish your goals" Slade stopped, turning toward Salem.

"I would be prepared if I were you. Because by the time I am done, there won't be a single man or woman you can call upon to aid you. Ozpin will have his army of Huntsmen. When the time comes to stop you for good, I know he will be the one to do it. If I live to see it, I will know, because you'll be out of my head then... I will have done my part, without risking myself to your corruption"

"And if Ozpin fails? If Ozpin doesn't accomplish his goal in your lifetime, what then?"

"Then I die, knowing I will never have to hear your voice again. I can be at peace" Slade cut his connection to Salem, choosing to walk on in silence "I will beat you, Salem... or die trying"

* * *

 **That's everything for now guys, I will have the next chapter out sometime after New Years. Hopefully before the end of January as my free time is going to be limited for the next few months. Thank you guys for your patience and taking the time to read, I hope you all liked it.**


	22. Revelations

**Hey guys, got another chapter for you all. I will only say this once, I haven't watched volume 7 of RWBY yet beyond the first two episodes and shall not be watching them until I finish up with Atlas in this story. I would appreciate everyone keeping my inbox spoiler free please, thank you in advance. With that out of the way, I hope you like what I have so far. I am working on the next chapter every moment I can so hopefully it will be out soon.**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing!**

"Speech"

 _Thoughts_

* * *

 **Chapter Twenty-Two: Revelations**

General Ironwood watched their reactions, a mix of anger, betrayal, and sadness amongst those who listened to his explanation. Qrow grabbed Ironwood by his collar and slammed him into the nearby wall.

"You knew!? You knew and you never said anything!? People died dammit!" he shouted in his face.

"Qrow!" Winter shouted.

"It's alright, Winter" Ironwood raised his hand for her to stand down "He has every right to be angry"

"You kept so much from us, James! Things that could've saved lives! Slade told you to tell Ozpin, he told you to involve him, and you did nothing!"

"I know... I was hoping Leonardo would find the one that infiltrated Haven and made these false backgrounds for Cinder and her accomplices. I didn't know Leonardo was the one responsible, if I had arrested them immediately, the infiltrator would've gone underground, or in this case Leonardo would've feigned innocence. I failed, the attack happened anyway and people died... innocents... students... people... they used Penny as a scapegoat for their plans. I failed and that's why I am trying to make up for it here, I won't make the same mistake twice. Between Slade and I, he seemed to be the one who knew what was right better than I"

Qrow looked toward Slade "Oz was right, you were the one who warned me about Beacon" Slade didn't reply.

"Why didn't you tell Qrow who was actually behind it!?" Jaune yelled angrily.

"Because Neo would've never had my pardon" Ironwood answered as Qrow released him "Slade knew if Neo wasn't pardoned because he talked to someone about this, she would be forced to work for Cinder for the rest of her life. Slade wanted to give her a chance to choose for herself, to allow her to follow her own path"

Slade sighed, he stood up and left the room "Slade?" Ruby called from behind him, he never turned to look back to them as he left.

"You knew about Emerald's Semblance" Weiss realized "You knew... and you never said anything to Yang or Qrow. You let Yang beat herself up for breaking Mercury's leg when you knew about them the whole time!?" Weiss shouted her anger boiling, Yang heard every word but seemed to have lost focus on the conversation, her eyes wide with shock.

"Weiss!" Winter lectured.

"No, Winter! No excuses are gonna make that okay!"

"I am sure the General had his reasons-"

"Reasons!? Pyrrha died! People died! Vale is overrun with Grimm right now because of him!" Jaune yelled.

"I can't believe you would do such a terrible thing" Ren said surprised.

"H-how could you!? They were our friends!" Nora yelled.

"How're you any different from Ozpin!?" Blake asked infuriated.

"I'm not" Ironwood answered "I always berated him for his inaction, but that was exactly what I did when I had a chance to stop this" he chuckled ruefully "There's no excuse for my actions, and there's nothing I can do that would take away the pain that was caused that night, but I can damn well try and make sure it never happens again"

"Slade was there that night, when Beacon fell... he saved Blake and I" Yang mused aloud, everyone's gaze turned in her direction as she finally looked up at Ironwood.

"Yes. That was when Slade first faced off against Tyrian, that was the night Roman Torchwick died... that was the night I knew I made the right choice in choosing him to help me here in Atlas"

"Qrow... why didn't you tell us about when you met Slade in Atlas?" Oscar asked.

"Yeah, I thought you were supposed to tell us everything!" Nora shouted angrily.

"Would any of you have believed me if I told you about that? If I told you the guy who helped you and saved your lives was the same person who massacred people in a restaurant in broad daylight" Qrow asked.

Nora was about to reply but stopped, knowing he was right "I guess not" she sighed.

"He didn't kill innocent people though, only criminals" Maria pointed out "That doesn't make him that much different than a Huntsman, but doing it in the middle of the day with innocents all around... that's not ideal"

"Slade was playing Oz and I the whole time we were in Atlas, he made himself seem like the bad guy so he didn't have to reveal his connection to Ironwood"

"But he told us he was working for Ironwood in Atlas, he told us about that job" Ruby pointed out.

"He didn't tell you about his involvement in the Fall of Beacon, or the specifics about his task there. Only that he took a job from me" Ironwood pointed out.

"The time frames he mentioned each time he brought up the job or jobs he took from you were always different" Ren mused.

"I always just thought he took multiple jobs from Ironwood. I never would've guessed it was just the same job" Oscar admitted.

"I still can't believe Slade was being so heroic" Winter admitted "He doesn't seem the type"

"Ha!" Qrow laughed "He's always been the heroic type, he's just guarded about himself. Ever since I knew him, he'd do anything to keep the people he cared about, or innocents from being hurt. I suppose Slade thought he was doing that for Oz and I when he left... I thought..."

"You thought he was angry at Ozpin" Jaune finished for him "It makes sense when you think about it, he made you think he was mad at you both, but never actually tried to hurt either of you, not really anyway. Slade must've known if he told you both the true reason, you'd both relentlessly pursue him and try to convince him to come back"

"Yet I ended up doing it anyway" Qrow chuckled with a shake of his head "Jokes on me I guess, one of my closest friends I thought had gone bad is just a really good spy"

"His skill in infiltration is certainly surprising. You don't learn that in Beacon" Maria agreed.

"Makes you wonder if he's actually telling us everything, or if he's leaving some stuff out. Maybe we don't know everything about him" Winter pondered.

"He saved my life more than once, and has done the same for most people here. I trust him, whether he's told us everything or not. Slade's proven he can be trusted" Yang said with a determined look on her face, Ironwood and Qrow both smiled.

"So... what're we supposed to do now?" Ruby asked looking at the Relic sitting on the table.

"We need to secure the Relic" Ironwood answered "Aside from that, I'd say we need to investigate Tyrian's presence here. I don't know how he got here, but we need to find out and discover what he's planning. I know the Grimm are likely to be coming to attack Atlas and Mantle after what happened in Vale and Mistral. I wondered if Vacuo would come next, but it would seem not" Ironwood explained.

"We need to figure out more than that, someone brought Tyrian here, he wouldn't be able to just teleport around and hope he makes it to Atlas. Slade's right, he'd probably have to know or have been to the place he was teleporting to. We also need to judge the Grimm numbers in Atlas so we can properly judge our defenses" Qrow added.

"Cinder and Neo are here too, and they're after Ruby" Blake pointed out.

"Yeah, we need to make sure neither of them ever get the chance"

"I wish Ozpin were here to tell us what to do next" Ruby sighed.

"We don't need him" Yang glowered "He'd just keep more secrets from us, just like he did before. Just like Ironwood did"

"That's not the case anymore" Ironwood sighed "We're going to keep Atlas safe, together. No more secrets, no more lies. You've all been forthcoming with me when you didn't have to be. I figured I owed you the same, and we can start fresh now, and I wouldn't count Ozpin out just yet. I believed Ozpin was a fool and thought if I were the one in charge, I could do better. Stop disaster before it came... but it turns out I was wrong. We need Ozpin if we're ever going to truly stop Salem"

"Slade and Neo are in the clear then?" Maria asked curiously.

"As far as I am concerned, yes. I will ensure his record is adjusted properly in our system-oh" Ironwood reached into his pocket and pulled out a few booklets "You're going to need these" he tossed them onto the table in front of him "These will allow you access to anywhere in Atlas and Mantle a Huntsman could access without too much hassle from my men. I've got checkpoints all over the place, keep these on you and show them to the guards when they request it, and you'll never have to worry about getting arrested, though you might get some annoyed glances based on your company" he gestured to Blake "Most of the people in Atlas have a low opinion of Faunus"

"People like the White Fang haven't helped that" Qrow sighed.

"I understand" Blake nodded "Thank you"

"Take these as well" Ironwood placed a bunch of scrolls on the table "These are our most advanced model, should come in handy. More so than the ones you currently have anyway"

"I better make sure Slade gets his. Someone should check up on him anyway" Yang picked up the booklets with her picture and his in them and pocketed them, as well as two of the new scrolls "Call if you need me"

"Yeah" Qrow nodded "Jaune, let's get to making a plan of action. We're gonna need everyone on the same page" he could be heard ordering as Yang went up the stairs.

"Right. Winter and I shall start preparing your new quarters... there's something else we need to show you too. We should get to it first thing tomorrow" Ironwood explained.

"What exactly is it?" Ruby asked curiously.

Ironwood smiled warmly "I think this is something you'll want to see for yourself" Yang rushed back downstairs with a look of concern "What's wrong?"

"He's gone" Yang answered.

"What do you mean gone?" Winter asked.

"Slade's disappeared, I can't find him. I checked all the rooms upstairs" she answered.

"Not to worry" Ironwood picked up his scroll "This should only take a second" he dialed a number "I'm fine I... I need... I need... I need..." he stopped as the person on the other line kept talking "I need... Silence! I need you to look through security for the last few minutes for Slade Stroud... yes the criminal... no I don't want security to be alerted, I just need to know where he is. Thank you... I appreciate it" he hung up.

"What was that?" Qrow asked confused.

"Slade's on a rooftop just up the road" Ironwood answered "Probably didn't need even need to call"

"Could've just looked outside" Nora shrugged.

"James, what was that?" Qrow asked "You asked someone to look through security cameras throughout the city and they found Slade within seconds? That's impossible, you'd need to have a super computer for a brain or-"

"Perhaps it'll make more sense, once you've met" Ironwood smiled.

"I'm gonna find, Slade" Yang said rushing to the door.

"Don't hurt him!" Ruby called after her.

"No Promises!" Yang called over her shoulder.

* * *

Slade sat on the edge of the rooftop, overlooking the city of Atlas from his place, not that much could be seen from his low place, but it was enough. Slade could hear the door leading up to the roof open up behind him.

"There you are" Yang sighed in relief "I thought you might have left without saying anything" she approached him, he never turned to look back a her.

"I wouldn't do that, not for more than a few hours anyway" Slade replied with a small shrug.

"I didn't mean... I know you wouldn't-" Yang tried.

"Relax, Yang. I know you didn't think I left for good" he chuckled "You're cute when you're flustered" Yang blushed lightly before punching him in the arm "Saw that coming" he laughed.

"Good" she sat down next to him "Ironwood wanted us to have these" she handed him the new scroll and identification.

"Thanks" he accepted them "I imagine this'll make things much easier for all of us, well... most of us" Yang sighed "Blake may be able to go anywhere now, but she'll always be seen as an animal by some people here. That's not going to change overnight"

"Yeah... idiots" Yang shook her head sitting down next to him, Slade laughed lightly.

"Damn right"

Yang and Slade sat in silence, Yang stole glances but never said anything "Is there something you want to say?" Slade asked without turning to look at her.

"No, what would make you say that?" she cocked her head to the left.

"You've been glancing at me for the last few minutes" he answered looking to her with a smirk "If you don't have anything to say then you're watching me, still think I am gonna take off?"

"It's not that it's... it's nothing" she looked away.

"If you say so" he shrugged.

They both remained silent, looking out at the city lights, enjoying the cool breeze "Actually..." Yang turned her whole body to look at him "Ironwood said you were there at Beacon, that you fought Tyrian and Adam... why?"

"Why what?"

"Why did you help us? You had no reason to fight with us, to stop the Grimm, to go after Cinder to... to save my life"

"Blake saved your life, Yang. I didn't do anything special"

"You went after Cinder, you were planning on stopping her before she could do any damage. You tried to stop the Wyvern and stopped to fight Adam when he was going to kill us, you cannot tell me you didn't do anything"

"Blake had everything in hand" Slade shrugged finally turning toward her "I left Ozpin a year ago, Yang. I never said that I wasn't going to try and help my way"

"You're just like a Huntsman you know" Yang smiled.

"I doubt that" Slade chuckled "I only do what I believe is right, I don't let innocent people die when I have the opportunity to stop it"

"Yeah... That's what makes you just like one" she leaned back onto her hands "You could get your license you know, could've at any time"

"I have the only license I need" he flashed his ID at her.

"Your Bounty Hunter's License?" Yang was surprised "I didn't know they even had those"

"They don't" Slade laughed "Ironwood made it just for me when he hired me. Wanted to make sure I could have easy access to Atlas and Mantle"

"I guess he expected you to keep working for him before The Fall of Beacon"

"I suspect as much" Slade laid onto his back, his arms crossed behind his head "I probably would've continued working with him too, had he actually followed my advice"

"Yeah... he's not much different than Ozpin in the end" Yang sighed laying back as well.

"You may find that many good people in power are like Ozpin... it all comes down to them thinking they know what's best. After all, they wouldn't be where they are if they didn't right... I suspect Salem thinks she's doing what is best too. Or at least, she did at one point"

"Maybe you're right..." They both remained silent for a time, watching the stars above them.

"I wish Ozpin were here right now" he sighed.

"What!?" Yang asked shocked, sitting up to look down at him "Why would you want him back? He's done nothing but lie to us from the beginning!"

"He didn't tell us everything, sure. But how are any of us any different?" Slade asked sitting up as well.

"What do you mean? How're we anything like him?"

"All of us have things we're ashamed of, Yang. Things we don't tell people because we don't think they're prepared to hear it. White lies we tell people because it's easier or better than the truth. There's always the chance you've got a secret like my own being kept to protect someone you care about."

"I don't care how harsh it is, I want to know the truth. Not some comforting lie"

"I agree" Slade sighed lightly "That doesn't mean everyone can handle that. Ozpin knew that. Ozpin didn't trust everyone with the truth, not the full truth anyway. Maybe that's not such a bad thing, considering what the Gods themselves have already done"

"Ozpin isn't a god though, he's just a man"

"A man cursed with the task of saving the world, Yang. Can you imagine something like that? Such a heavy burden weighing on you?"

"Salem needs to be stopped, there's not many people who'd disagree with that statement if they knew the whole truth"

"And yet people still choose to fight with Salem. Think about it from his point of view..." Slade stood, pacing around the rooftop "Ozpin fell in love with Salem, he died, and then was brought back to life by the God of Light to save the world, to make sure Humanity is united instead of fighting each other for when they return. Because if they're not, then Humanity as we know it will be destroyed... again... Can you imagine what it must be like to discover the thing you need to fight against to keep humanity united is the person you love most in the world, a person that no matter how resolute you become you cannot kill?" Slade asked.

"That doesn't excuse his actions" Yang crossed her arms stubbornly.

"Maybe not" he relented "But what would you do if you were Ozpin and Salem was Ruby?" Slade asked knowingly, Yang's eyes expanded in shock.

"I... That's not... I don't..." she sputtered, not knowing what to say she chose to look away somewhat ashamed.

"Be glad you don't ever have to find out" Slade extended his hand to her "We should head back, I am sure Ruby or Ironwood has come up with a plan by now" Yang accepted, standing upright.

"Yeah..." Slade turned to leave "Slade"

"Hmm?" he stopped looking back over his shoulder at her.

"Thank you. For saving Blake and I"

"I already told you, Blake had everything under control" Slade chuckled with a shake of his head "I only wish I could've done more" he continued toward the door downstairs.

"What do you mean?" Yang asked rushing to catch up with him, keeping pace behind him as they walked.

"If I had warned Ozpin myself and told him everything from the beginning Beacon would've never fallen. No innocents would've been killed, Pyrrha would still be alive, and you'd still have both your arms"

"You shouldn't blame yourself for that, Slade. I know you were only trying to protect Neo"

"Yeah, I was. And now she's working with Cinder anyway, I might as well have just stopped the attack and kept everyone safe. Roman would still be alive if I had, convincing Neo to work with me would've been a lot easier that way" the exited out the building front door and made their way toward the rest of the team, taking a sip from his flask.

"Don't focus on the past, Slade. Focus on the future, things you can change. Make sure their deaths and sacrifices were worth it" Yang told him as they approached the entrance.

"I will" he answered opening the door. Slade and Yang entered the building to find everyone still where they left them more or less.

"Slade!" Qrow called "Standing to greet him"

"Hey, Qrow" Slade replied lightly "Look, I'm sorry for not-" Qrow grabbed Slade into a hug "-Uh... It's good to see you too?"

"You don't have to apologize for anything, Slade. After everything Ironwood just told me, I know you're still that same dumb kid I knew back at Beacon" he laughed.

"Hey!" Slade pulled himself out of Qrow's embrace "You can't go saying things like that, I've got a reputation to uphold"

"Yeah well you also saved Yang's life" Qrow smiled warmly "It's good to have you back, really have you back I mean"

"It's good to be had" Slade smiled back "Now! Back to work, we've still got things to do! What's first on the agenda?" Slade asked stepping over the couch, plopping himself down right next to Jaune.

"We've got a whole list of things to do-" Ironwood started.

"I wasn't asking you" Slade looked over to Ruby "What've we got" Ruby looked between him and Ironwood.

"You're asking me?" She asked confused.

"Of course, you're the one who's seen us this far already, Ruby. The rest of us merely helped you along when you needed it" Slade smiled at her "Ironwood has already shown himself unworthy of my trust" he glared "You're going to have to earn that back"

"I... understand" Ironwood sighed, reluctantly agreeing "I suppose that leaves the decision to you, Ms. Rose"

"Well..." Ruby pondered, rubbing her chin thoughtfully "We need to find out what Tyrian is doing here, we already know he's working with someone in the city but we don't know who. Then there's Cinder and Neo who've both come to kill me, and the Winter Maiden. There's Ironwood's friends he would like us to meet, and then there's the situation in Mantle and Atlas as a whole we need to assess"

"We also need to secure the Relic, find out what that symbol you saw in your vision means, and most importantly relocate" Oscar listed off.

"That's right. We won't be safe here anymore, and that Relic will only draw in the Grimm as long as it's in the open"

"Then we lock it away!" Nora shouted standing with her fist punching the air.

"Yes, Nora. No one disagrees with that" Yang laughed.

"We've got enough people, I suggest we allocate tasks among the group to be most efficient" Jaune explained.

"Agreed, but perhaps we should all go and meet these friends first. We can depart from there to accomplish our tasks" Qrow added.

Ironwood watched the group with interest, smiling lightly at them "They work well together" Winter whispered from beside him.

"Agreed. Perhaps Slade is right, for now we should leave everything to them" her expression turned to one of concern "What about that symbol? Do you have any idea what it is? If it's something we want to be kept quiet then-"

"I've never seen it before, it feels familiar... I could swear I've seen it before... but I can't place why. Regardless we should keep our eyes open for anything more on it, something tells me Salem is interested in it for a reason"

"Understood"

"Well then" Maria intruded "Who's going to be doing what?" she asked.

"Any suggestions, Slade?" Qrow asked.

"You're asking me?" Slade asked surprised.

"You're used to leading teams from your time at Beacon, you've got more experience doing so than Ruby and Jaune, not to mention you're a brilliant strategist and tactician"

"I don't know if I would go that far-" Slade tried to dismiss the compliment.

"You were the only one smart enough to take down the Dragon and without causing the city more damage than absolutely necessary. You've surly done more missions as a Bounty Hunter that took planning before executing" Qrow explained "If you have any thoughts, share them"

Slade pondered for a moment "Well for starters, Ruby is going to attract Tyrian and Neo to her no matter what she does. We should keep her with a big team. Both Tyrian and Neo are very skilled fighters, we don't want to be caught unprepared. Aside from that, we should keep a low profile while assessing the situation in the cities, people are less likely to talk to people with authority, meaning Weiss isn't the best suited for that task" Slade explained.

"He's right. It's pretty unlikely for them to say anything to me for fear of me repeating it to my father or sister" Weiss agreed.

"I also think Blake would be best for that task" Slade added.

"You think they'll be more willing to talk to a Faunus?" Blake asked surprised.

"Many people think you're nothing more than animals, they're many places where Faunus are nothing more than servants. They don't take the time to measure their words around Faunus for that reason, you may be able to get info out of them we wouldn't be able to by just listening" Slade explained "Most of the best information I got here in Atlas came from Faunus"

"That... weirdly makes sense" Blake nodded "I'm game"

"Alright then" Ruby placed her hands onto the table "Blake needs to go to Mantle and see if she can turn up anything, figure out what's going on with the general populace, see if they know anything that can help us and most importantly, get a read on public opinion. Any volunteers to go with her?"

"I'll go" Yang offered.

"No, too many people know your face" Slade interjected.

"Huh?" Yang cocked her eyebrow confused.

"Your face was all over the news when you broke Mercury's leg. There's not a lot of chance you'll go unnoticed, especially by any men around here" Slade winked playfully "Regardless you're not one to keep to yourself, you punch your way out of situations instead of talking. We don't want to draw attention while we're there and you're one of our best fighters, you'd be better suited to keeping Ruby safe. Blake and I can handle the job without giving ourselves away" Slade explained.

"That makes sense" Jaune agreed "The rest of us could be recognized too, we were all in the Vytal Festival. Slade wasn't"

"Not recently anyway, however he was stirring up trouble while he took down McLaren" Winter pointed out "It's unlikely that people have forgotten that so soon"

"People are likely too focused on more recent news. The Fall of Beacon, the attack on Haven, the embargo, and of course the attack on Argus" Slade listed off on his hand "Compared to all of that, a stranger coming in and dismantling a criminal organization isn't as immediate. You're right of course, though. I should keep my head down where possible"

"I was at the Vytal Festival too though" Blake pointed out.

"One Faunus to them looks like any other Faunus" Ironwood chimed in "They won't put you two together so long as you don't make a scene"

"Aside from that, we're going to need as many people as possible keeping Ruby safe in case she's attacked again. I don't think Tyrian is going to try and capture you just yet, if he was planning on that he would've done it earlier, and Neo just wants you dead. I know she's confused for right now, she doesn't know whether to believe you or not about what happened to Roman, but Cinder is sure to change her mind one way or another" Slade continued with a deep sigh "I know Qrow at the least should be able to manage with her just fine if she attacks, anyone else is just insurance. All I ask is you don't kill her if she does attack"

"How're you going to get info in your state?" Winter asked "You're too injured"

"I'm better than I was after what Neo did, I should be just fine"

"That's what I'm for isn't it?" Blake asked with a reassuring smile.

"I'm not sure I am comfortable with two former criminals going off alone into the city" Winter argued.

"How do you-"

"Ozpin's files on his students were extensive, I looked through the files the General had on you the moment I discovered you were on a team with Weiss"

"That's one argument I don't want to have again" Weiss sighed.

"You're not the only one" Ironwood chuckled.

"You've got a real problem with Faunus, don't you" Yang growled.

"I wouldn't if they could keep themselves from being criminals" Winter snapped back.

"Maybe they wouldn't be if they were given a chance!" Yang stood, shouting.

"Right..." Slade stepped between the two of them "Back to the matter at hand" pushing them both away from each other

"Ren, Nora and I should stick with Ruby and Qrow, we've worked together for a bit now and should be fine if anything happens" Jaune explained "The thing I need to know is; what're we doing?"

"Investigating figures of authority" Ironwood answered "Someone is working with Callows here in the city, they couldn't do anything impactful remotely. They'd have to be close by"

"We look into them and they're likely to go to ground" Qrow pointed out.

"Doubtful. I already started my own investigation the moment I got back from Beacon. I didn't find anything, if anyone was going to go to ground for a simple investigation, they'd have already done it. However one of my Huntsman investigating disappeared only a week after the investigation was over, and he was the one in charge of the investigation. If you start investigating, I can claim ignorance as I never ordered a second investigation. They'll just think a couple of Huntsman in training decided to investigate one of their own going missing" Ironwood explained.

"Meaning that someone in a position of power is able to cover Tyrian's tracks or sabotage Atlas from the inside for when Salem's army gets here" Ruby concluded.

"Exactly" Winter agreed.

"Then you're going to have to be careful. People here in Atlas like their privacy" Weiss warned.

"We'll be fine" Ruby assured her "So, we have Qrow, Nora, Ren, Jaune and I investigating Tyrian's accomplice. Blake and Slade investigating Mantle for any sign of unusual activity, anything that could possibly weaken Atlas as a whole when the Grimm arrive. Let's see, what else?" she rubbed her chin thoughtfully.

"I will stick with Winter, no one is going to question me hanging around my sister" Weiss explained.

"That just leaves, Yang, Maria and I. What should we do?" Oscar asked curiously.

"We're going to be relocating so Tyrian doesn't come for us here, he likely knows your situation with Ozpin but not the full story" Qrow explained "I think it's best if you keep your head down for now and keep the Relic safe until we secure it"

"Qrow is right" Ironwood agreed "We can secure the Relic first thing tomorrow after meeting my associates. There's something I would like to try..." Ironwood stopped himself "Well... I shouldn't worry about that now. You should all get some rest, I will increase security in this district for the night. First thing in the morning I expect to see you all at the Academy" he turned to Winter "Stay with them, make sure they arrive unhindered"

"Yes, General" she saluted.

"Then I will take my leave. I will see you all in the morning" he turned to leave with a small wave to the group.

"Where are we relocating to exactly?" Slade asked "Atlas Academy seems like a strange place to go to meet your associates"

"The Academy is where you'll be relocated" Ironwood answered "There are several dorms there unoccupied, not to mention nowhere else in the city has better security than my Academy, my associates will be there because I have asked them to be, just as I have asked you all" he explained, Slade scoffed "Does that not satisfy you?" he asked cocking his eyebrow.

"It will have to do, for now" Slade answered "Blake, you and I should prepare for tomorrow. No sense going in blind" he stood motioning for her to follow behind him as he made his way toward the stairs.

"Good thinking" Blake agreed standing to follow him.

* * *

Cinder stood in a rundown building on the edge of the city of Mantle, she tapped her foot impatiently "Where is she? She was supposed to be here by now" Emerald stood several floors above her, overlooking the room curiously. Cinder's head perked up at the sound of rustling behind her, turning she found Neo staring back at her.

"Neo, finally" she stepped closer "Is it done? Is Ruby Rose-" she stopped when Neo shook her head "Why not?" she growled "Don't tell me that girl got the better of you"

Neo signed "It wasn't just Ruby"

"I don't speak sign language" Cinder reminded her.

Neo rolled her eyes, pulling a pad and pen from her coat pocket "Ruby wasn't alone"

"I figured that match, Neo. Who was with her?"

"Two of her team, the blonde, the Faunus, and Slade"

"Ah... now I see. Slade is the reason you failed..." Cinder paced slightly "Was it because he was tougher than you remember or because you couldn't bring yourself to fight him?"

"I fought just fine, he was injured. I didn't want to fight him but I did"

"Then why isn't she dead?"

"Slade told me what happened that night, what really happened"

"What do you mean?"

Neo tore off the page she was on and began writing again "The Grimm killed Roman, not Ruby"

"Impossible, I control the Grimm" Cinder replied.

"How far does that extend exactly?" Neo asked, an annoyed expression on her face.

"Far enough that nothing would've happened to him if I did not desire it" Cinder answered "If you think me a liar then just say it. I didn't get Roman killed, it was Ruby"

Emerald could tell Cinder was lying, she remained hidden, not wishing to anger Salem.

"If I find out you're lying to me, there won't be a pit deep enough for you to hide from me" Neo warned.

"I am not lying, not that I fear your ire regardless"

"I won't be alone, Slade will help me if I ask him. He's not very fond of you as it is"

"My newfound power is far greater than Slade's" she scoffed "I don't have any intention of making you an enemy, Neo. I assure you, Ruby was the one who killed Roman. She plays the innocence card far too well, even you fell for it"

"I will not let Ruby get away from me again"

"No, you won't" Cinder agreed "Don't attack her immediately, Neo. Slade's smart, he'll have devised the best way to keep her as safe as possible now that he knows you're after her. You need to watch them, learn their abilities. Understand their weaknesses and no one will be able to stop you from getting to Ruby" Cinder explained.

"I know" Neo wrote, ripping the sheet off and disappearing in a white flash of light.

Cinder grinned "Foolish girl"

* * *

Salem sat in her chair facing the window, watching the Grimm having taken to the sky circling, she smiled lightly. The door behind her opened "Report" she turned to face the one entering. It was a man wearing a black hooded cloak staring back at her, his face shrouded in darkness.

"Emerald hasn't interacted with Cinder as of yet, she's done as ordered and merely observed. Watts and Tyrian are ready for the next phase"

"What has she observed then?" Salem asked curiously.

"Cinder seems to be using Neo to kill Ruby Rose without being at fault. It seems she wishes to keep on your good side as much as possible"

"Yet she believes she can fool me with something so simple" Salem laughed "I suspected as much, she's become arrogant. More arrogant anyway" she shook her head "Tell Arthur he can begin at his discretion, but I want reports back from both of them with any new developments"

"Understood" the figure bowed lightly but made no move to leave.

"Was there something else?"

"I was wondering if you recovered my weapon" he asked.

"Ah, of course" Salem smiled, standing from her place "Go and see Hazel, he'll show you were it is"

"Thank you, Lady" he bowed and turned to leave.

"Make sure no one sees you, I don't want to be discovered before I am ready"

"I understand" he called back just before leaving.

Salem stood in place looking out the window down at the Grimm wandering around the dark pools, she smiled "Perhaps I have made you wait long enough, time for another visit" a dark corridor opened around her, engulfing her completely. When the corridor disappeared she was somewhere else entirely.

The surrounding area looked similar to the Land of Darkness but different in many ways. The ground was the same, with massive purple crystals sprouting from the ground. The sky was black as night, yet without even a signal light source in the sky it was bright enough to see perfectly. There was no moon or sun, no stars, just emptiness. There was a large body of water in front of Salem, it was the same liquid the Grimm spawned from but it went on for ever. There were several unnatural arches encircling the area closing off the area from the sea to form a smaller pool, like a spring. In front of the pool was a figure, clearly female on her knees facing the sea her arms outstretch on each side of her, held in place by chains forged from the surrounding crystals. The woman wore the same black hooded cloak as the man Salem had spoken to mere moments ago.

Salem stepped around in front of her and placed her finger onto her forehead, there was a red glint of light that emanated from her fingertip "Dear, it's been long enough hasn't it? You can talk to me you know, I promised I would let you go as long as you tell me what I want to know"

The woman spit in her face "I'll never tell you anything!" she shouted angrily "Leave me here as long as you like, a hundred years, a thousand... it doesn't matter. I will never break"

"You've been saying that for the last hundred years, you know" Salem chuckled wiping the spit from her cheek "Well, hundred years for you anyway"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. I've heard it all before, Salem" the woman spat "Go ahead, ask your questions. I'll answer them the same way I always do"

"Oh, dear. But so much has changed since last we spoke" Salem grinned "My Grimm have full control of Beacon and the city of Vale"

"Ha! Lot of good that'll do you, we both know I am the only one who knows how to open that vault. Your Fall Maiden is never going to open it"

"Ozpin knows too, and I killed him you know" she smiled "He'll be back again of course, but maybe he'll be more open to talking next time"

"Fat chance. You and I both know that man will never break, and neither will I!"

"We shall see" Salem sighed "I know, about her you know"

The woman's eyes expanded in shock "You can't" she answered.

"I do" she smiled menacingly "You'll tell me what I want to know, or she will die"

"I won't say anything, you'll never know. That Relic is the only thing stopping you from winning"

"Oh I have other ways" Salem laughed darkly "I have someone in particular whom I've had my eyes on for sometime now... he will help me whether he wants to or not, he has no choice" she vanished as a dark corridor appeared around her, taking her back to Evernight Castle, leaving the woman conscious and helpless.

* * *

Winter led the group through Atlas Academy until they arrived back in a familiar hallway "This is where all the lodgings are located that are currently free. This is where you'll be staying, feel free to situate yourselves however you like" she told them as they continued on to Ironwood's office.

"Do we just want to do teams?" Ruby asked curiously.

"RWBY in one and JNPR in another?" Jaune mused aloud "That should work fine, Oscar can stay with us too since we're one down"

"That just leaves, Maria, Slade and I" Qrow looked toward the woman in question.

"Oh no, ya don't. I'm getting my own room" Maria announced with a scoff.

"Fine by me, Qrow and I can share just fine" Slade sighed lightly "Not that I will likely be making much use of it"

"What do you mean?" Yang asked surprised.

"After Tyrian and Neo both coming for a visit yesterday, I think it would be a good idea to keep someone on watch at night. This may be the most secure place in the city, but so was Beacon while Atlas's military was occupying Vale. Cinder and her friends got by just fine anyway"

"Slade's not wrong" Ren agreed "It couldn't hurt to have an extra pair of eyes on us while we're resting just in case"

"So we'll trade off watch duty then?" Weiss offered.

"I think you'll find that won't be necessary" Winter smiled back at the group as she opened the door to Ironwood's office. The group stepped in to find three people standing in the room. Ironwood, a man no one but Winter recognized, and-

"Ruby!" the third shouted soaring across the room, she stopped midair just before tackling her to the ground. Looking to her left she found Slade had stopped her using his Semblance.

"It can't be" the group stared in shock of the girl in front of them.

"Penny?" Ruby asked, Slade released Penny from his Semblance having figured out she wasn't a threat.

"It's so good to see all of you!" Penny shouted grabbing Ruby into a bear hug.

"I thought you died" Blake pointed out.

"Yeah we saw you get sliced in half!" Nora shouted in disbelief.

"Well... she is mostly metal you know" the unknown man smiled lightly at the group.

"Who're you?" Slade asked curiously.

The man's smile widened "Why I am so glad you asked, I am-Penny dear release Ms. Rose. You're not controlling your strength again"

"Oops!" she dropped Ruby on the ground painfully "Sorry, Ruby" she turned toward the man "I'll try harder Father" she bowed her head lightly.

"Father!?" Nora, Jaune, Oscar, Yang, and Ruby shouted in shock.

"Knew it" Qrow smirked.

"Yes, I did create Penny" the man answered "My name is Doctor Polendina" he stepped toward the group "It is such an honor to meet you all, Penny has told me so much about you and your team Ruby. I am glad my daughter was able to find such nice friends while in Vale, despite what happened" he looked down sadly.

"It's nice to finally meet you as well, Sir" Ruby smiled up at him.

"As much as I have heard about RWBY and JNPR, and no one could mistake the infamous Qrow Branwen. I don't believe I know the rest of you"

"My reputation precedes me" Qrow smirked.

"Indeed" the Doctor smiled warmly toward Winter "Mind introducing us?"

"This is Oscar Pine, the next incarnation of Ozpin" she gestured to the boy.

"Oh?" his eyebrow raised in questioning toward the General, he received a nod "That is interesting. This is the one... hmmm" he thought aloud.

"Pietro!" Maria called breaking him from his thoughts.

"Apologies, I didn't... Maria?" he asked surprised "I wasn't expecting one of my patients to be here" he laughed.

"It was originally the reason I was coming to Atlas" she smirked "Didn't realize I'd become a tag along for a group of kids though"

"Don't you worry, I will get your eyes situated" he smiled "It's good to see you"

"It's good to be seen" she laughed back.

"You know him, Maria?" Weiss asked.

"Well of course I know him, he's the best Doctor in Atlas, and the only Doctor who can fix my eyes when they start acting up" she explained.

"So you're not just a scientist, you're also a medical doctor" Slade pointed out.

"I am indeed, young man" he smiled "I specialize in prosthetics due to my advanced knowledge with robotics and animatronics, but I do know a thing or two about the human body as well. I've even been known to try my hand on a Faunus or two when they actually allow me to help them" his smile turn to a slight frown "No one in this city suffers like the Faunus do..." his smile brightened immediately "I don't believe-" he stopped upon seeing Yang's arm.

"What?" Yang asked covering it as much as she could, her insecurity resurfacing.

"You... painted it?" he asked surprised, he started laughing heartily "I suppose I should've expected some personalization, it is your arm after all"

"You mean... you made this?" Yang asked showing her arm to the Doctor.

"Of course, it certainly wasn't anyone else" he laughed "Watts may have invented the Atlas mechs you see walking the streets, but those are rudimentary robotics at best. Your arm is far more advanced than anything in them by at least ten years"

Yang looked down at it with a slight smile "You did do a great job with this thing"

"I did my absolute best" he smiled appreciatively "It's not often I get to make something for a hero after all"

"Hero?" Yang asked surprised.

"You fought at the Fall of Beacon, in my book no matter the outcome, you're a hero" he turned toward Slade "Now, I don't believe I caught your name, young man"

"Slade Stroud" Ironwood said without moving from his place at his desk.

Doctor Polendina's eyes widened in shock "Stroud?"

"You know me?" Slade asked.

"Not exactly, I know of you" he answered regaining his composure "I knew your parents, I was the one who helped care for your after you were born, you had some major complications after all"

"This is news to me" Ironwood stood up walking in front of his desk "It was my understanding that he was born in Vale"

"I was" Slade answered "That's what my mother always told me"

Polendina rubbed his chin thoughtfully for a moment "Did you have siblings?"

"Two of them" Slade answered.

"Ah, that must be it then. I suppose you had an older brother"

"I did"

"Must've been him I helped along then, I have gotten so old a couple of years and twenty feel a lot like the same to me" he laughed "I have heard your name a time or two in passing though recently, you're a Huntsman too I take it"

"Bounty Hunter" Slade answered.

"He's the one you hired to bring in Councilwoman McLaren then?" Penny asked.

"That's the one, though I didn't know it was her at the time I hired him" Ironwood smirked.

"Well we've had introductions and we know where we're staying. If you don't mind I am going to be heading down to Mantle, I'll meet you at the landing pad, Blake" Slade left the room quickly.

"Not much for social spaces I see" Polendina chuckled.

"He reminds me of you when you were younger" Ironwood smirked looking at Qrow.

"Now why'd you have to go and say something like that" Qrow groaned "I was never that edgy" Ironwood raised an eyebrow "Okay... I was never as edgy as Raven"

"That I will give you" Ironwood laughed.

"We should get going too then" Ruby turned toward her friends "Let's get our stuff situated in our rooms and then get to work, we've got plenty of ground to cover-"

"Is Mr. Pine accompanying you?" Polendina asked curiously.

"Actually we were still figuring out what he and I should be doing" Yang answered "I figured we'd just tag along with Ruby and help where necessary.

"I believe I have something for you Ms. Xiao Long, and I am going to need Mr. Pine to do it"

"And my eyes?" Maria asked.

"I can take care of those before we get started with Mr. Pine"

"Get started?" Oscar asked "That sounds like you're going to be operating on me"

"In a manner of speaking, I will be"

"Huh!?" Ruby, Yang and Oscar yelled.

* * *

 **That's all for now guys, thanks for taking the time to read this far. I appreciate all the kind reviews and messages I have been getting about this story.**


	23. Mantle

**Just in time for the end of the month, I've got another chapter for you. Hope you guys like it.**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing!**

"Speech"

 _Thoughts_

* * *

 **Chapter Twenty-Three: Mantle**

"What is it exactly we're doing here Doctor?" Yang asked curiously.

"Well..." Doctor Polendina finished repairing Maria's eyes "There we are!" he smiled "We're going to be trying a bit of an experiment on the young Mr. Pine" he answered honestly.

"Experiment?" Oscar asked nervously.

"What kind of experiment, Pietro?" Maria asked narrowing her eyes.

"Nothing dangerous I assure you" he raised his hands innocently in front of him "General Ironwood had informed me that Ozpin has locked himself away inside the psyche of his current host... though I do detest that term" he spat "Makes it sound like Ozpin has a choice in the matter"

"You think Ozpin would choose not to reincarnate at all?" Yang asked unconvinced.

"Perhaps, but I don't believe he would just abandon us to deal with Salem on our own. But I doubt he would consider living inside a fourteen year old acceptable when there are other options. People with more experience for instance" he turned toward Oscar "Not that I am doubting your ability Mr. Pine, I am of course only referring to-"

"Yeah..." Oscar interrupted him "I understand, Doctor. If I could go back to being just me again I would... but then I never would've met all my new friends" he smiled at Yang, she returned a small smile.

Doctor Polendina smiled warmly at the two "Well, it is good to see such a kind heart with Ozpin right now. That man needs to be kept in check sometimes, he doesn't always do what's best even when sometimes it seems like it to him"

"Yeah, we know" Yang sighed.

"I myself have made mistakes... horrendous mistakes... mistakes I wish I..." he remained silent for a while.

"Pietro!" Maria smacked her cane on his head "Focus"

"Ah, of course" he chuckled "General Ironwood would like me to try and see if I can find Ozpin in your subconscious mind" he explained preparing the equipment.

"You want to go into my mind?" Oscar asked concerned.

"I do" he answered "If you would like I can show you there is no danger" he placed an electrode on each side of his head "I will test it on myself" he gestured to a screen next to him "Ms. Xiao Long, if you would take a look at the screen here, tell me what you see"

Yang reluctantly made her way over to the screen and watched with surprise "Is that-"

"The day Penny was born" Doctor Polendina smiled a single tear falling from his eye "It's just the way I remember" he wiped the tear away.

"How're you doing this?" Yang asked surprised.

"The brain is like a computer Ms. Xiao Long" he answered disconnecting the electrodes from his head "The brain stores memories like files in a computer and gets rid of the useless information much like a computer cache system does. If you look hard enough you can find anything you want to know. The hard part is searching the subconscious"

"Why is that?" Oscar asked no less nervous than before.

"Well, Mr. Pine... human brains are much different than that of an animal for instance, a dog has a limited emotional range while a computer has none. Searching through files on a computer is easy because there's nothing but the data, however looking through the brain of a dog would be more complicated due to the emotional data recorded"

"So the reason you were crying just now was because you were reliving the memory of Penny's creation?" Yang asked in understanding.

"Very astute of you" he smiled "Yes, when a human brain starts to relive a memory it's more difficult on the machine due to having to discern more information, a dog's mind dismisses a lot of information that it cannot understand so it views it as useless. Humans can decipher much more than that such as mathematics and science. The subconscious however is much different, it retains information you would learn during combat or social interactions such as body language" he explained "Your brain will often relive multiple moments at a time when searching something like that, which could cause sensory overload for the brain"

"What happens then?" Oscar asked.

"Worst case scenario it's too much for your brain to handle and you pass out, no brain damage involved. I have tested it many times on myself to ensure it doesn't"

"That was rather stupid" Maria scoffed.

"I knew the risks and would never ask someone else to risk something I am unwilling to myself" he explained "Now... finding Ozpin within your subconscious could be quite challenging Mr. Pine. I won't lie to you, I don't even know if it will work" he shook his head.

"But you know there's no danger involved, right?" Yang asked.

"Honestly I can't really say that either. I've never been able to search a consciousness for a completely separate consciousness before, it could be damaging or fatal. I don't know anything at this point, even if I were to find Ozpin's consciousness, what would I do to bring it out without harming Mr. Pine?" he sighed.

"Fatal!?" Yang and Maria asked in shock.

"I wouldn't force him to do this you understand, the choice is ultimately up to him"

"What if General Ironwood ordered you to do it?" Oscar asked.

"He wouldn't, and even if he did. I am the only one who knows how to work this machine. There's nothing he could do that would make me place someone in potentially fatal harm"

"Not even if he hurt Penny?" Maria asked unconvinced.

"Not even then" he answered without hesitation "I am a lot of things, Maria. But I am no killer"

"I'll do it" Oscar had a determined look in his eye.

"Oscar-" Yang tried but was interrupted.

"I am tired of everyone making decisions for me, Yang. This is something I am deciding for myself" Yang sighed looking to Doctor Polendina.

"Do what you're gonna do then"

"Relax, Ms. Xiao Long. I'm not going to do this procedure just yet. I think Mr. Pine should enjoy the rest of the day before we attempt such a procedure-"

"I'm fine, Doctor" Oscar interjected "Just go ahead and do what you need to do"

"Mr. Pine, if this procedure by some freak accident ends up being fatal this would be the last moment in your life you remember. Surely you'd prefer to spend the day with people you care about, do things you enjoy before taking such a potential risk. Should the worst happen-"

"I said I'm fine!" Oscar insisted "At least if I were to die now, I'd still be Oscar and not Ozpin"

Doctor Polendina looked torn, but nonetheless agreed to continue. He placed the electrodes onto Oscar "Relax your mind, focus on my voice and my voice alone" he instructed as he stepped behind the computer.

* * *

Slade and Blake walked through the streets of Mantle, there was Atlas security mechs and soldiers on every street corner. They were checking passes and documentation quite often it seemed.

"Doesn't look like we're going to be able to keep that low of a profile" Blake sighed with a small shake of her head.

"Agreed" Slade looked at Blake's ears "You don't happen to still have your bow do you?"

"Yeah... why do you ask?" she looked confused.

"Was curious" he shrugged "If necessary you can blend in as a human instead of a Faunus to gather intel" he explained.

"Good thinking" she looked over at the security officers "Let's try and avoid them for now"

"If they don't want to break anything, that would probably be for the best" Slade chuckled, he stopped abruptly his hand going to his abdomen.

"You alright?" Blake asked concerned, getting closer to have a look at him.

"I'm fine" he brushed her off, forcing himself to move forward through the mild pain throughout his body.

"You really should be more careful, you don't want to hurt yourself again"

"Don't you start" Slade groaned as Blake caught back up with him "I've already been dealing with Yang being a mother hen ever since I passed out in the house"

"She's just worried about you, Slade. We all are. It's what friends do" Blake said genuinely concerned.

Slade sighed deeply "I know, Blake... I just..." he looked at her "I'm not used to being the one that has to rely on others. Most of the time people are relying on me to solve their problems, I guess I am just used to looking out for myself instead of waiting for someone to help"

"Everybody needs help sometime, Slade. Qrow helped you a lot when Elise died didn't he?"

"You're right of course" Slade chuckled "I just don't like relying on others I guess. I will... try to be more accepting of it" he groaned lightly.

"Good" Blake laughed "We would all hate to see you have to ask for help with something after all, it might bruise your ego"

"It bruises easy" Slade looked back at her with a look of feigned offense, she laughed.

"Clearly" they walked in silence for a few minutes, taking in the sights of the city. Slade frowned several times, looking concerned. Blake couldn't seem to figure out why though, finally she thought of something to talk about to break the silence "What do you think of Yang?" she asked curiously.

"What do I think of her?" Slade asked surprised "That's an odd question to just throw out there" he laughed.

"You're dodging the question" she crossed her arms. Slade turned to face her with a smirk.

"Was worth a shot right?" he shrugged "I'm not sure what you want me to say. She's great... I think she's a tough girl, and it shows"

"And?"

"And?" Slade asked confused "There's supposed to be more?"

"You cannot tell me there isn't anything else"

"Are you asking me this as a friend or as a guy?"

"Why not both?" Blake answered.

"Whatever" Slade turned away from her.

"Do you... maybe... possibly... wanna date her?" Blake asked.

"Seriously, Blake?" Slade cocked an eyebrow "Do you have nothing better to do than needle me about my relationship status?" he shook his head.

"Just throwing it out there, you never know. Maybe she's open to the idea"

"I'm not gonna waste time barking up that tree" Slade laughed.

"What do you mean?" Blake asked confused.

"The way Qrow and Ruby tell it, Yang hasn't ever dated anyone"

"So?"

"She hasn't stayed single this long for no reason, Blake. If she's not ready to date she's not ready. For all we know she may not even be into men"

"You think she wants to date girls?"

"I think if someone wanted to be in a relationship they'd do something to try and make it happen. Chasing anyone interested away isn't the best way to do that"

You still never answered my question"

"About wanting to date her? You're right, I didn't" Slade smirked stepping inside a run down bar.

"Well?"

"That's curious"

"Slade!" Blake groaned exasperated.

"Tell me what's wrong with this picture and maybe I will answer"

"What's wrong?" Blake asked confused, she looked around the inside of the bar for a quick moment. There were several men inside, drinking and eating but only one server managing the filled tables "It's understaffed?" she asked.

"You're partially right" Slade answered stepping further inside "Distract the bartender for me" he stepped toward the server as she was putting an order into the computer, she seemed almost frantic "Excuse me, Ma'am?"

"I'll be with you in just a moment" she called back.

"I was just wondering where the bathroom is"

"Back left" she answered pointing to the direction and sending the order through to the kitchen. Slade looked through the door she opened into the kitchen and could see the few workers he could see from his spot.

"Interesting" he rubbed his chin.

"I was just wondering if you could tell me-"

"We don't serve your kind her, girl. I'm sorry, but you're going to have to go somewhere else"

"I'm just looking for-"

"Out" the bartender insisted.

"She's with me" Slade approached from behind "What's the problem"

"He won't even let me ask a question because I am a Faunus" Blake huffed.

"We don't serve Faunus here, sir. We'll serve you but not your friend"

"Right..." Slade rolled his eyes "I notice you only have one waitress walking around with all of these tables... is that normal?"

"We're a bit understaffed right now, but we'll fix that soon enough. Thankfully we have some patient customers"

"Has nothing to do with patience" Slade smirked "Those security checkpoints stop them from going anywhere else"

"That doesn't hurt my business either" the bartender laughed.

"How long have you owned this establishment?"

"About two months now, old owners were Faunus. Sold it to me for a steal"

"Good to know. Thank you for your time, Sir. Blake, we should get going"

"Yeah, get your pet out of here. And keep her on a shorter leash"

"Pet?!" Blake asked.

"I still don't understand how you can stand to have it in the same building as you" he shuddered "You rich folks think you can get away with anything, you even decide to keep Faunus as pets around the house" he explained "Is she not-"

"No" Slade answered "She's a friend, not a pet"

"That's a first-"

The door to the kitchen opened as the waitress walked out with a tray of plates on it, the door stopped abruptly and caused her to drop the tray as she fell forward. Blake caught the girl while Slade caught the tray, stopping anything from breaking.

"You alright, Ma'am?" Slade asked handing her back the tray.

"Y-yes, thank you" she looked at Blake and pulled away from her "S-sorry... I'm just not used to Faunus" she tried to apologize.

"And you never will be. Get back to work!" the bartender shouted.

"Yes, Sir" she sighed.

"Let's go, Blake. We've better things to do" Blake sighed deeply, calming herself down and followed him outside "You alright?" he asked concerned.

"Yeah, just... that guy pissed me off" she answered.

"Trust me, I understand" he groaned "I was two seconds away from smashing his face in.

"What now? We were supposed to get information from there to continue our search. We didn't learn anything"

"Maybe you didn't" Slade chuckled "I learned plenty"

"What?" Blake looked confused "You couldn't have learned anything, all he said was how he got the business"

"Couple that with what we saw out here and it starts to paint a picture"

"I'm not sure I understand, did you see something I didn't?"

"It's not what I am seeing, Blake. It's about what I'm not seeing"

"Come again?" Slade laughed lightly.

"Mantle is to Atlas as Menagerie is to Remnant" Slade answered.

"You're not being any clearer"

"What is Menagerie to Remnant as a whole?"

"The place humanity crams the Faunus so they don't have to see them"

"Exactly" Slade frowned.

"Are you trying to say Atlas throws all the Faunus in Mantle?" Blake asked.

"I am... which is why this is so odd"

"What is?" Blake asked confused.

"Where are all the Faunus?" Slade asked gesturing around him "We've been walking up and down this district all day and haven't seen a single Faunus aside from yourself the whole time. Mantle has a business that isn't Faunus friendly? It just doesn't make sense, he'd never be able to afford to do business here. He'd be thrown out in under a week" Slade explained.

"It can't be that drastic"

"I saw more Faunus here in Mantle than I did humans while I was operating here, and I mostly dealt with the criminals here. Most criminals in Mantle are Faunus due to the influx of population and the lack of employment due to human and Faunus residences here in the city. Up there" Slade pointed at Atlas "That's the place all the humans go when they don't want to deal with the Faunus. Only really fortunate or talented Faunus make it up there, and most of them are Huntsmen" Slade sighed "So where are they?"

'Maybe they've been moved to a different district?" Blake offered.

"Maybe... but with the amount of Faunus in this city, there's gotta be something else going on here" he turned on his heel away from the bar "There wasn't even any Faunus working in the kitchen in the bar, I snuck a look when I tripped the sever.

"She tripped on the door" Blake pointed out.

"Yup"

Blake's eyes widened in understanding "You used your Semblance to stop the door didn't you?"

"Maybe" Slade smirked " Recon was one of my specialties at Beacon"

"I can see that" she laughed "Mind teaching me a few things?"

"Not at all, so long as you don't mind showing me some of your moves in exchange"

"I think I can manage that" she agreed.

* * *

Ruby entered the police station followed shortly by Weiss, Nora, Ren and Jaune "So what's the plan?" Ren asked curiously.

"We're investigating the death of a fellow huntsman" Weiss pointed out "Obviously we don't need to sneak around to do that officially, we just need to ask the right people the right questions" she explained.

"Right! That's why we're in a police station" Jaune agreed "They're the ones who'll have any records and evidence surrounding his disappearance anyway. It's the best place to start"

"Then let's get cracking!" Nora shouted loudly.

"Nora!" Ruby whispered "The point of investigating is to stay under the radar, shouting everything isn't going to help"

"Oh..." Nora whispered back "Let's get cracking?" she said again in a whisper.

"You kids really don't know anything about being subtle do you?" Qrow chuckled having entered with Winter "Just go up to the counter and ask them"

"They're not going to just hand over evidence to a bunch of kids-" Winter started but stopped when she noticed Ruby standing at the front desk.

"Hello, Officer" she greeted cheerfully.

The officer in question looked up from his desk slightly puzzled, he leaned forward and found Ruby's smile staring back at him from just below the edge of his desk "Can I help you, missy?" he asked.

"I'm hoping you can!" she replied back never dropping her tone "You see we heard about a someone who went missing and we're hoping to help with the investigation" she explained.

"Sorry, kiddo. We can't just start getting everyone in town involved every time someone commits a crime. Unless you're a security officer or a Huntress there's no way you're even getting your eyes on even the incident report let alone joining an ongoing investigation" he explained.

"How about now?" Qrow asked showing him his Huntsman license.

"Qrow Branwen huh? Like the bandit?" he asked curiously.

"That's my sister" Qrow sighed placing his license back into his pocket "I'm sorry to say, she and I don't exactly see eye to eye" he explained.

"Right" he crossed his arms "You have any official order from the council or General Ironwood?" he asked.

"Uh..." Qrow held up his finger to say something but stopped "Not as such, we came from Mistral after the attack on Haven and decided to help out in Atlas while everything is settling down. What with the embargo and what not, relations between kingdoms haven't been all that great. We want to change that, we found out one of Atlas's Huntsmen went missing and we decided to look into it ourselves. Can't just leave one of our own, you know?" he explained.

"Wow" Nora whispered to Jaune "He's good"

"Well, Mr. Branwen. I am sorry to inform you that I am under strict orders not to allow anyone to affiliate themselves with the department as long as this lockdown is still going on in the city. Unfortunately, the only way you're going to see any information regarding his disappearance is if you get permission from General Ironwood or the council. There's nothing more I can do for you"

"Look, buddy" Qrow leaned against the desk "If someone in your department went missing, wouldn't you do everything in your power to find him?" he asked.

"As long as it didn't get me into trouble with the law, of course I would" he answered honestly "Hell, If it were up to me I would just give you the reports and let you figure it out for yourselves. But my hands are tied, I wouldn't be able to even get you into records without two other officers both giving me permission right now. Lockdown sure is through"

"And if I ordered the reports be released?" Winter asked stepping forward from behind the group.

"I'd tell you the same thing I told him-" he stopped dead upon seeing who he was speaking to "Specialist!" he stood and saluted "Apologies, I didn't know-"

"If I ordered you to release those reports, would you?" she asked sternly.

"O-of course, Specialist. I didn't know the General was interested in this case"

"Of course he's interested, one of his Huntsmen went missing. He however isn't giving the order for these documents. I am"

"So General Ironwood has nothing to do with this?" he asked surprised.

"My younger sister here is an aspiring Huntress like the rest of the students here" she gestured to the group "I am simply helping here learn firsthand experience for the task she has set upon herself. Qrow Branwen will be given permission to reopen this case and I will oversee the investigation to assure the council everything was done above board. Am I understood?" she placed her hands behind her back.

"Of course, Ma'am! I'll get the relevant materials at once!" he stood with a salute and quickly headed off toward the records room.

"Nice move, Ice Queen" Qrow chuckled as she glared at him "For a second there I almost believed Jimmy wasn't ordering you to do this with us"

"I do what's necessary for the safety of Atlas, but if my sister needs assistance I will give it to her. Especially when the General gives me permission" she growled.

"Thank you for your help" Ruby said with a genuine smile on her face.

"Yeah, we already stole an airship. I wouldn't have wanted to have to steal from a police station too" Weiss added.

Winter looked between her and Weiss "You're definitely not the Weiss I remember" she shook her head lightly.

"Is that such a bad thing?" Ren asked.

"No" Winter answered "I'm just not entirely sure that's a good thing yet"

"She's come a long way from the stuck up girl we met on the first day of school" Jaune laughed.

"Yeah, now she's only stuck up sometimes!" Nora pointed out.

"Hey!" Weiss smacked her shoulder "Not funny"

The officer returned with the a box in hand placing it on the desk "I got the missing person's report for one Mason Sturman, the recorded evidence the detectives found when investigating and any reports made about the subject within the time of the investigation" he explained as Qrow lifted the box onto his shoulder.

"Excellent work. Are these the only copies?" Winter asked.

"No, Ma'am. We've got digital copies and hard copies of everything just in case" he answered.

"Good" Winter turned on her heel "I wouldn't recommend talking about this to anyone" she started to walk out of the station.

"Why not?" he asked confused.

"Mr. Sturman was investigating possible corruption in the Atlas elite on Ironwood's orders. He turned up nothing actionable and the investigation was called off, shortly afterward he was reported missing and was never seen again since then. I don't know about you, but I wouldn't want to let anybody know we're looking into this if you want to not end up missing too" Qrow explained with a smirk before following.

"Bye!" Ruby waved as she and her friends followed Qrow.

"Thanks for the help" Weiss added.

The officer swallowed nervously "Oh, man" he groaned as he sat down.

* * *

"Mr. Pine?" Doctor Polendina asked "Can you hear me?"

"I hear you" he answered "What do you need me to do?"

"I need you to only focus on the sound of my voice and stay awake, if you fall asleep I will only be able to see your dreams. Now... I need you to focus on Ozpin. That feeling you get when he takes over, I need you to focus on that"

"Alright... I think I've got it" he answered.

"Good, good" Doctor Polendina watched the screen as it navigated through a stream of colorful lights "That's new" he looked slightly puzzled "Well... looks like we're going to have to start somewhere" he pressed a key on the computer and suddenly Oscar started convulsing on the table, his eyes flashing once like when Ozpin took control.

"AAAAAAAAAAAARGH!" he screamed, his hands going to his head. The screen flashed red and an alarm started blaring from it.

"Mr. Pine? Mr. Pine!" he shouted "Dammit! I don't know what's happening!" he started pressing keys on his keyboard causing Oscar to start screaming louder and almost rolling off the table.

"Oscar!" Yang yelled putting her arms onto his shoulders and forcing him down onto the table "Calm down! Oscar!" she shouted "Doctor! Turn it off!"

"I can't! I don't know what it'll do!"

"Anything is better than this!" Maria shouted "The poor boy is in agony!"

"If I turn it off now it could just knock him out, or it could turn him into a vegetable. I can't risk it without knowing what it'll-" Yang shot the computer with her metal arm. The computer spark and knocked Polendina on the ground. Oscar relaxed, letting out a sigh of relief his eyes flashing once more.

"Mr. Pine?" Polendina asked rushing to his side "Mr. Pine, can you hear me? Mr. Pine!" he checked him over to find his heart was still beating and his lungs still taking in air "He seems to be stable" he sighed in relief.

"Oscar?" Yang asked getting nothing "Wake up!" she smacked him across the face.

"Ow!" he shot up, his hand on his cheek "What was that for?"

"Just making sure you're still alive" Yang answered with a smirk.

"You gave us quite a scar, Mr. Pine" he answered.

"I did?" he asked surprised "What happened?"

"I'm not entirely sure" I accessed the are in your subconscious that appeared to be what you were accessing when you focused on Ozpin and all I got was a red screen and you started screaming and convulsing on the table" he explained.

"I did?" Oscar shook his head lightly "I don't remember that" he looked disappointed.

"I don't understand" Polendina sighed "It just happened, how could you not remember? Unless..."

"Pietro?" Maria asked.

"That wasn't Oscar screaming was it?" Yang asked.

"I can't be sure, but it could've been Ozpin who was experiencing that pain instead of Oscar" he answered.

"That's why I wouldn't remember it?" Oscar asked.

"Do you ever remember when Ozpin took control before?"

"Always" Oscar answered.

"You're sure?" Polendina asked hopeful.

"I am"

"Then I can only assume the reason he was in such pain was because I was accessing his mind which is connected to yours through your own. You didn't experience it with him like everything else, it's possible I could separate his soul from your body in that case... but it would likely result in his permanent death" he explained.

"No" Oscar immediately stood up "We're not doing that"

"Oscar? You don't want Ozpin gone?" Yang asked surprised.

"Ozpin may not be the man I want to be, and he may not be the man we all wanted him to be... but he's trying to keep the world from falling apart and stop people from dying as much as possible. Can the same be said for most people given the same task?" he asked.

"He could certainly be doing a better job though!" Yang argued.

"We might not live to see Salem defeated, she may never actually be defeated, Yang. If she is eventually stopped, Ozpin is going to be the only one of us who's going to have any chance of surviving long enough to do it" Oscar argued back.

"That's-"

"Do you really think any of us could do better?" Oscar asked shocking her.

"I... I don't know..."

"I know I didn't ask for this, Yang. I know he didn't either, and I know that I may not agree with all of his choices... but I know he's trying to do the right thing the best way he knows how"

"Mr. Pine is right, Ms. Xiao Long. I certainly don't envy the man" he sighed "Well... I don't have any reason to keep you three here any longer. I've got some things to clean up here" he looked to his destroyed computer "It's going to take me quite some time to get everything back in working order"

"Sorry about that" Yang rubbed the back of her head embarrassed.

"Never apologize for accidentally doing something right" Polendina smiled "How do you think scientist make discoveries?" he laughed "Go ahead, now. You've got some work ahead of you, and now so do I" he sighed with a slight shake of his head.

* * *

Blake and Slade made their way through an alleyway across the street from a security checkpoint "There it is" Slade pointed out the guards "If the Faunus in Mantle have been moved anywhere, it's to this district here" Slade explained.

"What district is that exactly?"

"They call it Shadowtown" Slade answered "This is where you go if you want any business done off the books. It's the most likely place security would put the Faunus during a security lockdown... what concerns me is the fact Ironwood never brought it up when we planned on investigating Mantle" Slade rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"Maybe he thought we wouldn't get this far?" Blake offered.

"Doubtful, he knows how thorough I tend to be when I investigate anything. Something more is going on here, and I get the sense that Salem isn't far behind"

"Then let's start looking" Blake lead the way to the checkpoint.

"Halt!" one of the soldiers shouted "This area is closed off to all-" he stopped upon seeing Blake's ears "Ah, another Faunus huh? Papers. Now" he ordered.

Blake forced herself to remain composed as she handed the solider her information "I think you'll find everything is in order" she politely added a small smile.

"Unlikely" he scoffed "Filthy little animals always thinking you're such hot shit-" his eyes widened in shock "Holy... what kind of Faunus are you? A Huntress?" he asked shocked by what he had read on the paper.

"Aspiring Huntress" Slade answered from behind her handing his information to the soldier as well.

"Who're you people?" he asked once he looked over the documents.

Slade's brow furrowed in confusion "What's so special about these papers?" Slade asked.

"You mean you don't know?"

"No you idiot!" the soldier behind him yelled "Obviously the brass wants to make sure we know what we're supposed to" she stepped ahead of him handing back their documentation.

"Well?" Blake asked curiously.

"All Faunus have been quarantined to Junktown for security purposes"

"Junktown?" Slade asked.

"Yes, Sir" she answered "Shadowtown was renamed after criminals in the area all moved out after McLaren was arrested and all of her accomplices were ousted. It's called Junktown now due to the buildup of garbage and junk being left around the streets"

"The Faunus are being stashed here? Why?" Blake asked.

"They've been inciting riots around the city, we were ordered to quarantine them for their safety and ours"

"There haven't been any riots, soldiers" Slade answered sternly "Why're they being held here"

"Sir, riots have been started around Shadow- I mean, Junktown since the attack on Beacon. We secured the city and safety of all residents by doing so. If you don't believe me, feel free to ask General Ironwood. With your clearance it wouldn't be hard to be able to speak to him" the first soldier explained.

"May we enter Junktown?" Slade asked.

"Afraid not, Sir. No one is aloud in until the kingdom wide lockdown has been lifted"

Blake looked at Slade with concern "You don't think-"

"I think we need to have a word with General Ironwood before we decide anything" Slade cut her off "Back to it, soldiers!" he ordered.

"Yes, Sir!" they both saluted and returned to the gates of Junktown. Slade and Blake turned away from them and began walking back to where their ship was landed.

"You were right, Slade. Something is definitely going on here"

"What concerns me isn't just the fact that their locking away the Faunus. It's that the Faunus don't appear to have put up a fight for it"

"You think Ironwood is hiding something?"

"No, I didn't get the impression he was... which is why I am so concerned"

"You think we should tell Ruby before talking to Ironwood?"

"Yeah. Everyone should be present when we talk about this. I think we might've found what Salem has been up to"

* * *

"So..." Qrow chimed as he continued looking through the papers in front of him "Anybody else have something yet?" he asked in a bored tone.

"No" Ruby groaned "Everything I've been reading clears the name of everyone on the council"

"Everyone who's ever been considered the elite of Atlas seem to be clear as well" Ren sighed.

"You'd think the richest people in the city would have some secrets!" Nora shouted exasperatedly.

"There's plenty here that could spark investigations into just about everyone on the list for suspects we have... only problem is we don't know which of them is working for Salem" Weiss groaned tossing the paper in her hand to the ground.

"In fact there's so much here indicating criminal activity that they could all be arrested and we still wouldn't have the person we're looking for" Winter agreed "I think we might need to change how we're approaching this"

"That sounds like a fine idea" Jaune agreed "Only one question... how?"

"Have you looked into the professors for the academy?" Oscar asked as he entered the room.

"Hi, Oscar" Ruby waved.

"Hey, Ruby"

"We already did but all of the professors here are licensed Huntsmen, none of them are going to have anything to hide from us. Any of them that do wouldn't be obvious enough to show it" Qrow sighed.

"Lionheart did" Yang pointed out from behind Oscar "I think I already know someone I would put my money on"

"Who?" Winter asked surprised.

"Polendina" Yang answered.

"Doctor Polendina is a terrific man, Ms. Xiao Long" Winter growled "How dare you accuse him of treason"

"He's hiding something, I'll say that much" Maria offered entering "He seemed rather cagey today, distant even. I've never known the man to be either"

"Nor I" Winter pondered for a moment "Do you truly think... no! There's just no possibility"

"Well we have to start somewhere, Winter. What would you suggest?" Ruby asked.

"I... I don't know, but I know he's innocent"

"Then we're back to square one" Ren pointed out.

"I think we might be able to help with that" Slade called from the doorway with Blake beside him.

"You found something?" Qrow asked hopeful.

"We did" Blake answered "Though to be honest it was mostly Slade who figured it out"

"C'mon. We need to have a word with Ironwood" Slade gestured for them to follow as he exited the room. They all followed until they reached his office.

"Just who do you think you're talking to!?" Ironwood's voice shouted "I am not someone you can strongarm into doing your bidding! If you want something, perhaps you should focus more of your efforts into doing something about it instead of bothering me!" the sound of his fist slamming into the desk could be heard from outside.

"Perhaps we've come at a bad time" Qrow chuckled.

"We probably should leave him be for now-"

"No time" Slade knocked on the door loudly.

"Slade-"

"Come in" Ironwood's voice called.

Slade shrugged to Winter with a smirk and entered followed shortly after the rest of the group "You alright, General?"

"Jacques is being a pain as always" Ironwood sighed, rubbing his eyes "Nothing I haven't dealt with before"

"My father has always been a pain" Winter shook her head lightly "What was he bothering you about this time?"

"What else" Ironwood sighed.

"The embargo again? You'd think the man could deal with- no, never mind. I take it back, he definitely cannot deal with losing a little bit of money"

Ironwood laughed lightly "It's nothing we should concern ourselves with, not when Salem is right on our doorstep"

"General" Ruby called grabbing his attention.

"Right" he stood from his place behind his desk and walked around in front "What've you found?"

"We've been looking at the case file surrounding the disappearance of Mason Sturman and his consequent investigation into the elite of Atlas. It seems he's found plenty of evidence against just about every member, including the council... unfortunately there's nothing to indicate any of them to be working with Salem or one of her proxies" Qrow explained.

"So you've learned nothing then" he sighed.

"We believe there are people who're not amongst the elite of Atlas's society that may be colluding with Salem" Yang informed him.

"Doctor Polendina is one of our prime suspects"

"Pietro?" Ironwood shook his head "No, he's done nothing of the sort. He's always going out of his way to help people in need. I merely mentioned the loss of your arm in passing and he commissioned that arm for you with no other reason than you needed one" he explained "There's simply no way a man like that could be working for Salem"

"Could you not have said the same thing about Lionheart at one time?" Jaune asked.

"I..." Ironwood remained silent "Leonardo was a coward... Pietro... Pietro knows more than he should. About Salem, Ozpin, myself... he's always somehow gotten involved where he wasn't wanted. He's always proven himself to be invaluable help when it came to solving issues no one else could. I have no doubt he is innocent" Ironwood explained.

"Even so, it's likely someone has been manipulating your troops right under your nose" Slade chimed in stepping in front of the group.

"What?" Ironwood asked surprised "What do you mean? What did you find in Mantle?"

"There weren't any Faunus" Blake answered.

"What?" Winter asked "That's absurd, Faunus are the majority of residents in Mantle. What could you possibly mean?"

"Someone ordered the Faunus be quarantined to Shadowtown" Slade answered "Whoever did is likely the one working with Salem"

"Quarantined? For what? What order are my men following down there?"

"There seems to have been riots around the city of Mantle being caused by Faunus. They were all crammed into Shadowtown for the "Safety" of Mantle residents" Blake explained.

"There haven't been any riots" Winter's brow furrowed "Security hasn't reported anything like that. Penny would've stopped anything before it got out of hand"

"Has she taken a look at the cameras in Shadowtown?" Qrow asked "She was the one with access to so many cameras am I right?"

"Penny wouldn't be able to see anything in Junktown because there aren't any cameras there. Criminals always ended up breaking them so we stopped posting them and resorted to drones" Ironwood explained.

"Junktown, Shadowtown, just figure out a name already!" Nora shouted.

"Have the drones seen anything out of the ordinary?" Oscar asked.

"No. In fact, everything has been calm with the residents there" Winter pulled up a live feed on her scroll and showed it to the group "See?"

The group watched carefully as several children played in the streets and people were walking around "Uh... Winter?" Weiss asked.

"What?"

"It's looping"

"What!?" she turned it around and watched it herself.

"Weiss is right, that same group walked past those children several times now" Ren agreed.

"General?" Winter asked.

"There's not a whole lot of people in this city capable of ordering around my soldiers without me finding out and be able to hack the cameras on my drones... Pietro is one of them... but I don't believe he is behind this"

"I'm not so sure-" Yang started.

"Then he'll be the only one who can help us find out who did" Slade interrupted her.

"Whoever is doing this, we've got to stop them" Ruby announced, determination clear in her tone.

"Then lets get to it" Ironwood smiled.

* * *

"Oh I'll do something about it" Jacques growled as he sat in his chair in his study. He took a long drag from his cigar before exhaling the smoke "Who does Ironwood think he is? I am a Schnee dammit!"

"What do you plan to do about it?" asked a voice from behind him, causing Jacques to nearly leap out of his chair.

"Who's there!?" he asked turning toward the man.

"Tyrian Callows" he answered stepping into the light "I believe we can help each other" his metal tail glistened in the moonlight.

"A Faunus? What're you doing out of Junktown?"

"Don't worry yourself about that" he laughed "I have a proposition for you"

"What kind of proposition?" he asked curiously.

"I want you to run for a position on the Atlas Council"

"What? Why would I do that?"

"You want the embargo lifted don't you? How better to do that than to remove Ironwood from the council"

"You think anyone is going to vote me in? The whole kingdom is behind Ironwood's decisions. No one seems to care as long as they feel safe"

"How much longer are people going to feel that way I wonder" he grinned "I am providing you a way to deal with your problems, and you needn't worry yourself about votes. We'll ensure that you don't have any opposition stopping you from taking McLaren's old seat. Somebody needs to replace it don't they?"

"What do you get out of it?" Jacques asked skeptically.

"You're going to do me a few favors is all" he grinned laughing lightly.

"What kind of favors are we talking about?"

"Oh, just the one. It has something to do with the Faunus problem here in Atlas. When all is said and done, Atlas is going to see you as a hero!" he said pacing around him.

Jacques pondered his offer for a short time "What is it you need?" Tyrian grinned.

"I thought you'd see it my way"

* * *

 **That's all for this time guys, next chapter is already in the works and will be out to you guys as soon as possible!**


	24. Unrest

**Hey guys! I finally managed to finish this chapter for you, ended up writing and rewriting it a few times before I got it to this point. Enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing!**

"Speech"

 _Thoughts_

* * *

 **Chapter Twenty-Four: Unrest**

"So, we're really doing this?" Yang asked exasperated, following behind the group through the halls of Atlas Academy.

"Yup" Ruby replied popping the p on the end.

"If Doctor Polendina is really the one working with Salem, he's going to know we're on to him"

"We know" Qrow sighed in mild annoyance.

"And yet we're still going to confront him while we have nothing? He can deny everything and we'll have no way of proving-"

"We're not going to accuse anyone of anything, Ms. Xiao Long" Ironwood smiled back at her "We're simply going to ask him for a favor"

"I don't understand" Yang crossed her arms in confusion.

"Don't worry about it so much, Yang" Slade smiled comfortingly back at her, placing his arm onto her shoulder "It's all part of the plan"

"What plan?" Nora asked surprised.

"The plan" Slade answered as they arrived at his office.

Ironwood knocked on the door, Yang didn't look to be much more confident in their "Plan" but nonetheless followed Ruby's lead. The door opened shortly after the knock as Doctor Polendina walked right into Ironwood, stumbling back slightly.

"Oh... General" he greeted picking up the folder he dropped on the ground along with the few papers that dropped out of it "I was just coming to see you"

"Excellent, then we can all have a talk"

"I can't imagine what you're here about General, unless of course you're concerned about what happened to Mr. Pine. I assure you, he is in good health-"

"What about Oscar?" Ruby asked concerned.

"Ah, I see you haven't been briefed yet" he turned and stepped back into his office "Please, make yourselves comfortable" The group followed him inside and situated themselves in the minor amount of furniture around the room. Slade, Yang, Blake and Qrow found themselves to be standing against the wall opposite of him while Winter and Ironwood stood directly in front of his desk "Might I ask what this is about?" he asked curiously.

"After you tell us what happened to Oscar" Weiss answered.

"Of course" he cleared his throat "I ran the test as you requested with Mr. Pine's consent to try and see if we could communicate or extricate Ozpin from his subconscious without harming Mr. Pine. Of course, everything seemed to go fine until I executed the program as normal. Once it started reading two different brain wave frequencies, something I didn't even anticipate given the nature of his reincarnations... Mr. Pine was screaming, he appeared to be in an extreme amount of pain. Unfortunately I was only able to stop the process with the help of Ms. Xiao Long's quick thinking" he gestured toward her "Mr. Pine however had absolutely no memory of the pain once it had subsided"

"That seems like an awfully risky test to perform on a child" Jaune growled.

"Yeah! Who do you think you are, hurting our little Oscar!" Nora shouted angrily.

"He did say he got Oscar's consent" Ren pointed out "I doubt he would've done something so dangerous otherwise"

"Of course not!" Polendina chimed back "I was opposed to the idea from the beginning, as fascinating as it would be to learn more about Ozpin's condition. I certainly wouldn't want to do it at someone else's expense. I'm a doctor not a mortician, I prefer my patients to be alive when I operate"

"Why did you consent to that?" Weiss asked concerned.

"I..." Oscar remained silent for a small period of time "It seems like everything since Ozpin showed up in my head has been decided for me without even asking me what I want. I decided for myself to undergo the procedure, and I don't regret it. I just hope it's not going to be one of the only decisions I get to make for myself"

"Oscar" Ruby frowned lightly as she put her arm around him, pulling him into a light hug "We'd never want you to be anyone but you. Nothing going forward is going to be something you have to do if you don't want to, right guys?" she asked pulling herself back to look him in the eyes.

"Of course" Ironwood agreed with a reassuring smile.

"You betcha" Jaune agreed.

"Agreed" Ren nodded.

"Ozpin can get in line if he thinks otherwise" Nora answered.

"After dealing with someone like my father for so long, how could I deny someone else the same thing I wanted myself" Weiss smiled, filling Winter with pride.

"Anybody thinks otherwise is gonna have to go through me" Yang punched her fists together.

"Us" Blake corrected.

"What they said" Qrow smirked.

Slade remained with a cold stare at Oscar but agreed nonetheless "As much as I think Ozpin is going to be necessary going forward if we're going to have any chance of stopping Salem or her followers... I don't think it should be done at the expense of Oscar" he sighed "You know I've got your back no matter what"

Polendina laughed heartily "It seems like you've got yourself quite the group of friends, Mr. Pine. Don't let go of them, friends like these are precious treasures that may not be around forever... enjoy them"

"Yeah... I... I-I will" Oscar smiled.

"There's a good lad..." he smiled, losing focus yet again "...Where was I? Oh, yes. What is it you needed from me, General"

"We're among friends, Pietro. You don't need to be so formal"

"I'll try and remember that, Sir" he smirked.

"We need your opinion on something for us, Doctor" Winter explained.

"What about?" he looked curious.

Winter handed him her scroll playing the looping footage. He stared for a moment before noticing it himself "It's not recording... this is from a drone so it's likely not a damaged lens or a corrupted data feed... Hmmmm..." he sighed "I think I know why you're here" he placed her scroll down on the table and brought up his computer, he typed on the keyboard for several minutes before turning back to Ironwood, the screen along with him "I think I know why someone hacked one of our drones"

The screen showed streets packed full of Faunus, it was clear there wasn't enough room for everyone in the residences. Several plywood and Sheetmetal homes were built in the alleyways around the street. The drone continued to move as Polendina directed it "I think it's rather clear that someone wanted the Faunus all in one place for something... something big"

"Like what?" Ironwood asked.

"A revolt I'd say" Polendina shrugged "Honestly, given the amount of time this has been going on by the looks of it, I doubt there's much food left around there right now. There's no security to stop people from stealing, assaulting, or worse... I'd say they're trying to generate negative emotions to invite the Grimm"

"That's why the Grimm have been attacking so much recently!" Winter announced in realization "If so many people have such negative emotions, that would explain why Penny's been working overtime with the Grimm attacks"

"Agreed" Ironwood sighed "What do you think, Pietro? Who could've done this?"

"Well..." he rubbed his chin thoughtfully "It'd have to be someone with deep pockets, a lot of connections, and technical knowhow... There's only a handful of people who could pull this off and three of them are in this room" he answered.

"What makes you say that?" Yang asked suspiciously.

"Well, Ms. Xiao Long... in order to be able to pull something like this off, you'd need the money to pay someone to hack our security system and then the drone itself, that of course is impossible to do without anyone noticing with Penny watching for any security breaches. Thus ruling out any of the elite members of Atlas society" he explained.

"Leaving it to top military officers, councilmembers or the engineers who worked on the security personally" Qrow rubbed his chin thoughtfully "Makes sense"

"Of course, General Ironwood or Specialist Schnee here wouldn't be able to do such things without outside help which rules out military officials too" he sighed "Your most likely suspect should honestly be me" he answered.

"What!?" many of the group shouted in surprise.

"Did you just admit to hacking the drone?" Yang asked.

"Of course not!" he answered defensively "Realistically speaking though, I would have the easiest time doing so. Penny has access to all security systems in Atlas and Mantle as well as their algorithms in order to be able to repel any hacking attempt personally without being affected if someone were to try and hack her through the system, and I have access to Penny whenever I wish. This of course means the one who did this, since I know I didn't do it would have to be someone who knows the security algorithms like the back of their hand and have ready access to the hardware to access our security systems like myself and Ironwood without setting off any red flags"

"Meaning they don't need to hack anything" Slade deduced.

"Quite right. Anyone like that would have full access to our security at any time, they'd be able to alter individual security footage, locks, and other crucial security risks that wouldn't otherwise be accessible without alerting Penny"

"So Penny doesn't know when someone changes something in security?" Ruby asked surprised.

"If she did, she'd know the password for everyone's banking accounts and scrolls just because they're accessing Atlas's data connection. She wouldn't be able to process the sheer amount of information she'd receive if she did"

"Then who would be able to do this if not you?" Slade asked.

"Without military officials? It'd have to be someone with top level access to the system. Which means it would either have to be the General or Winter here, or any of the councilmembers giving their access codes to whoever hacked the system... or more likely, someone like me who worked on the original system" he answered picking up a picture with three men and two women in front of a massive computer all smiling wearing lab coats "The only unfortunate thing is... two of the people who helped create the security to where it is today are dead" he sighed.

"Then that just narrows our list doesn't it?" Nora asked hopeful.

"Unfortunately not" Slade replied.

"If it's someone using a Councilmember's access codes, then it could be anyone" Blake added.

"Huh?" she looked confused.

"If a councilmember gave out their access codes, I could get into their system without triggering any alarms, and I don't know the first thing about computers or security" Weiss explained.

"Did you check who accessed the drone when the loop started?" Qrow asked curiously.

"I did, unfortunately the data was deleted from the system, I can retrieve it, but it's going to take me some time to put everything back together. Penny would expedite things exponentially, but I don't want to take her off patrol duty to keep the city safe" he explained "This does however narrow the list to anyone with sufficient technological knowledge, anyone else wouldn't even know how to delete it from the entire system, thankfully I am smarter" he grinned.

"Be as quick as you can then" Ironwood ordered "Winter, order the troops to call off the quarantine and get those poor people some damned food"

"Yes, Sir!" she saluted and turned on her heel, exiting the room.

"What about the rest of us?" Ruby asked.

"Neo was easily able to dispatch you three correct?" Ironwood asked looking at Ruby, Blake and Yang.

"Unfortunately, yes" Blake answered somewhat shamefully.

"Well, you know it probably would've gone better-" Yang started but stopped midsentence to Ironwood's hand in front of her, indicating her to stop.

"Would you say your fight with Tyrian went well?" he looked to Qrow.

"Honestly? It could've went worse, but it didn't go great. I was barely able to keep up with him, pit me against him a few years ago and he would've killed me for sure"

"He almost did anyway" Ren pointed out.

"My fight with him didn't quite go as planned either" Slade sighed "I hate to say it, but I don't know if all of us together could take him right now. He's stronger than you'd expect"

"Hmm..." Ironwood smiled "Ruby"

"Yes, General?"

"Would you say that Slade has shown himself to be a superior fighter amongst the group?"

"Well... yeah" she answered somewhat surprised by the question "When we first met him, we didn't even put a scratch on him and he didn't even seem like he was trying. He also took down a Geist like it was nothing, and then wiped the floor with Mercury and Hazel during the attack on Haven" she answered.

"That's not even mentioning the fight he had with Uncle Qrow when we arrived" Yang chuckled "I've never seen Uncle Qrow actually look like he was struggling to fight someone before, and I saw the fight between him and Winter"

Ironwood smirked "I thought as much"

"What're you so happy about?" Slade asked somewhat worried.

"I just had a wonderful idea" he answered "Follow me"

The group looked at him somewhat confused but followed nonetheless, Slade remained behind and looked at Polendina as everyone left "You made Yang's arm for her on your own?" he asked curiously.

"Hm?" he looked surprised "I told Ironwood he should take the credit for that!" he sighed "Yeah, I made the arm and told him to say he commissioned me to do it, but I didn't expect-"

"Thank you" Slade smiled genuinely.

"Huh? What're you thanking me for?"

"If you hadn't made that arm for her, I don't think Yang would've ever taken up being a Huntress again, much like Maria" he looked after Yang as she turned back toward him, noticing he wasn't following.

"C'mon, Slade! What's the holdup?" she called.

"I'm coming!" he called after her.

"If I hadn't met Yang, I'd still be drinking myself into a coma every morning... so thank you. For giving Yang the helping hand she needed when she needed it" he left without another word.

"Your..." Polendina let the sentence hang as he knew Slade couldn't hear him anyway, he smiled lightly a stray tear falling from his eye _I'm glad I could help someone like her, maybe someday I'll even make up for... no... nothing could ever make up for that_ he sighed.

"What is this place?" Ruby asked in awe as she looked around the room they entered. It was a massive arena with no seats aside from a single long step on each side of the room spanning the entire width of the room against the back wall of each side.

"This, Ms. Rose, is the training room"

"Training room? This is where you train all of your students?" Jaune asked surprised.

"Indeed" he smiled "We have the teacher's face students individually to help them work on their weaker points in combat and against full teams as well to help them become better coordinated against superior opponents not just groups of Grimm. You won't always be fighting a dozen Beowolves, sometimes it's a Geist or a Nevermore" he explained.

"Or worse" Qrow added.

"So, what're we doing here then?" Weiss asked "There's not exactly a lot of teachers who'll have the time to teach us anything right now with the city in lockdown"

"Quite right" Ironwood smirked "Which is why I have found you all a new teacher" he answered.

"Who?" Yang asked cocking her head to the side.

"You" he answered looking to Slade.

"Me?" he asked surprised "But I don't know the first thing about being a teacher, why not Qrow? He's an actual teacher"

"Qrow will be teaching you personally, Slade. You've learned a lot in these past few years and your experience as a Bounty Hunter has surely taught you many things and sharpened your skills, but even you're not perfect"

"Wait, wait, wait, woah, hold on a second!" Nora shouted catching his attention "Qrow's teaching Slade and Slade's teaching us? When is he going to have any time to himself?" she asked.

"He'll have plenty of time to help with missions and other such things here in Atlas as he wishes, but for now he needs to get a grasp on all of your abilities and weakness" he explained.

"What do you mean? Everyone has weaknesses" Yang pointed out.

"Yes, but Tyrian and Neo are two opponents who've mastered the art of combat" he explained "Slade is an excellent fighter, and his Semblance makes him capable of handling opponents far beyond his skillset even if he wasn't, but he still has things he can learn, and improve"

"He's not wrong" Slade sighed "Much as I hate to agree with him, one of the things I was best at was picking out the weaknesses of opponents and using it against them. It's the only reason I won any fights in the Vytal Festival years ago"

"Not only that, but Slade has perfected his fighting style to compliment his Semblance rather than using it as a separate ability" Qrow explained.

"Like Pyrrha..." Jaune looked down at the ground.

"Just like her" Qrow agreed.

"What do you mean?" Ruby asked not understanding.

"Pyrrha fought using her skills as well as her Semblance in the midst of combat. She used her Semblance, polarity; to redirect attacks just enough to make her seem invincible in a fight. Slade does the same but has taken it a step further"

"Further? You mean he's stronger than Pyrrha?" Ren asked surprised.

"Stronger? I can't say for certain, what I can say though is Slade has far more experience and is a tactical genius. During his time at Beacon, Ozpin figured out he has an IQ of over 200. That's why he's able to fight so well" he turned to Yang "For example: Yang, you fight offensively. You charge headlong into fights because you think with your fists and not your head, your approach is pure brute force. If you can't win that way, you absorb all the hits you can and then send it back tenfold" he turned back to Slade "Slade on the other hand is a defensive fighter. Slade will block, dodge, or redirect any attacks coming his way until he sees an opening to strike, he fights primarily with strategy and planning ahead rather than with his gut. Slade can usually tell what his opponent is going to do before they do themselves because of their body language, their stance, their words and attitude... Slade analyzes his opponent before striking, much like Pyrrha once did"

"I suppose" Yang crossed her arms with a huff.

"What did you mean by his Semblance complimenting his fighting style?" Oscar asked curiously.

"He means I use it to manipulate my opponent when necessary rather than take the hit. If someone fires a gun at me and I don't have time to dodge, I can stop the bullet but then they'd know my Semblance. I would be more likely to redirect it and allow me to either block it myself or dodge it completely. The reason my fight with Tyrian went so poorly is because he knew about my Semblance before we started fighting"

"That makes sense" Oscar rubbed the back of his head slightly embarrassed.

"So, Slade. Do you think you're up for it?" Ironwood asked.

Slade looked over to Yang, she was still focused on being embarrassed about her fighting in front of everyone, though to be more accurate it was actually him being present that made her embarrassed, not that he knew that.

"I can at least gauge their abilities for myself" he sighed "I know you've all got more experience since I fought you and some training from Qrow and Ozpin back in Mistral. I hope you've at least improved" he smirked.

"Excellent" Ironwood smiled "Whenever Slade is not on assignment he will be teaching anyone not out as well, Qrow and I will fill in when necessary"

"So..." Ruby looked up at Ironwood "When do we start?"

Ironwood smiled back at her and turned his head toward Slade "I do believe that is up to your teacher"

The group all turned to Slade waiting patiently for an answer, he sighed with a slight shake of his head "I'm gonna regret agreeing to this" he turned his back on the group and began walking out "Take the rest of today off, feel free to go out and have some fun for yourselves. Tomorrow morning we start training" he placed both his hands behind his back as he stopped at the door "I'll be in my room if I my presence is required.

* * *

Salem sat silently in her seat at the head of the table. Tyrian, Hazel, Mercury and Arthur all sat in their places and waited patiently, or for some, nervously for her to tell them why she summoned them. A black corridor opened to reveal Emerald into one of the open seats left across from Mercury.

"Cinder has gone to sleep for the night. I should have at least a few hours before I need to report back" she informed dutifully.

"Excellent" Salem nodded "Now that everyone is here, I want to go over our plans for Atlas" she looked toward Arthur and Tyrian and waited for them to speak.

Picking up on her intention faster than Tyrian, Arthur started "Ironwood eagerly accepted me back into my teaching position at the academy from the vacation I was believed to be on as you know. I also was assigned to ensure no one would be able to hack Atlas security systems going forward to secure our borders from Grimm attacks. Of course we all know that I will be sabotaging the system with a stronger virus at the source that should be able to affect Penny Polendina and render her harmless, this should also get us access into-"

"Yes, yes, yes," Salem prodded him along "What else?"

Tyrian spoke up cheerfully "I showed the file to Slade and his friends! They're focusing on the wrong things right now instead of the obvious infiltrator-"

"That's not true" Emerald interrupted.

"What!?" he asked insulted "You dare accuse me of lying!?" he threatened standing up menacingly.

"Hold your tongue, Tyrian" Salem held up her hand for him to stop "What do you mean, Emerald? Have you heard something?" she asked curiously.

Emerald cleared her throat "Cinder has been having Neo watch Ruby for an opening to kill her, as well as the possibility of obtaining the relic. At this point I am unaware if Cinder intends to give you the relic or if she wishes to keep it for herself" Emerald paused for a moment, collecting her thoughts "Slade believes you wouldn't have tipped your hand this early if you weren't afraid of what they might do. He believes the best course of action is to focus on what they already know and keep an eye out for Neo and Tyrian as well as investigate the infiltrator. They're actually closer to figuring out it's Arthur than we would probably like" she explained.

"How?" Arthur asked annoyed.

"They know someone ordered the Faunus be kept separate from the rest of the Mantle population and closed off, without food or security. Originally they rioted as expected but you blocked the reports from reaching Ironwood, making him oblivious to them. Ironwood has since sent an order for the quarantine to be lifted and allow them to be taken care of, he's likely going to report the incident to the council"

"Then how do they have me as a prime suspect already?"

"Because Doctor Polendina said the only ones who'd be able to give false orders and hack security footage without actually hacking into anything would have to be someone with top security access codes. That leaves it to only be a few dozen people and most of them are dead. Military personnel have been ruled out due to their lack of knowledge on security algorithms"

Salem leaned forward and placed her elbows onto the table, her fingertips pressed against the opposite hand's in front of her face "Well done, Emerald. Keep up the good work" she looks forward and doesn't make eye contact with anyone at the table, remaining silent for quite some time.

"Ma'am?" Hazel asked concerned.

"What's the plan?" Mercury added nervously.

"We're going to need to redirect them" Salem answered leaning back into her chair "Slade is a strategic and tactical genius" she pondered her options for some time "We cannot simply overwhelm Atlas with superior numbers and brute force. Even without their security systems, that only removes their automated defenses from the board. Their Huntsmen, soldiers, even a civilian with a gun could easily take down weaker Grimm... we're going to need to plan our assault more carefully. Contingency plans..." she smiled wickedly "I think I have got a good one" she seemed like she was focusing for a brief moment with her eyes closed before returning to the conversation "Arthur, I am going to need a schematic for an Atlas airship"

"Done" he nodded "May I ask why?"

"Hazel" she called "Take Mercury and start moving the leftover Dust from Roman's robbery's outside by the Grimm pools"

"Ma'am?" Hazel asked confused "You want us to dispose of them?"

"No. I want you to MOVE them" she answered curtly before turning to Tyrian "I want you to be ready in Atlas for whenever I require you. I don't know how soon Arthur or I are going to need you for a task"

"Of course" he bowed.

"Emerald, once we're done here I want you to return and watch Cinder and Neo as you have been. Ensure they do not kill Ruby Rose, I want her captured alive. I need her"

"I will do so at once" she answered, her voice shaking slightly at the thought of fighting Cinder.

"If need be, you may confront Cinder and remind her that I want her alive. Should she do otherwise, I will make sure it will be her last mistake... Permanently" her eyes flashed with a deadly glint.

"O-of course"

"Why do we need schematics for an airship?" Arthur asked once again "Are we looking for structural weaknesses? Perhaps you-"

"You will find out in your good time. For now-" the door to the room opened "Ah, excellent. You've returned" she smiled lightly.

"You called?"

"Oh..." Arthur stared at who had entered as Tyrian's grin grew wider with each passing second "That does change things"

* * *

Slade stood in the center of the arena with his arms crossed over his chest, RWBY, JNPR and Oscar all stood in front of him waiting patiently for him to tell them what to do. Qrow stood against the back wall on the right side of the arena.

"Right" Slade nodded "Today is likely going to be the only day when you're all present at one time" he paced from left to right slowly, placing his hands behind his back "Today I am going to fight each and everyone of you to gauge just what abilities you have, your strengths and weaknesses, your habits and quirks" he stopped in the center and turned his body straight towards them "Weiss" he looked to her "You have the most discipline amongst any of the others here among us. You're going to be starting us off today. Use everything you have when it comes time to fight me, I will not be going easy on you and I don't expect any of you to do so either. Use your Semblances as liberally or as infrequently as you see fit" he removed his glasses and placed them into his jacket "The rest of you will wait your turn over by Qrow, if you have any questions please direct them his way or wait until a match is over before voicing it" he received crisp nods from the group. Ironwood and Winter watched overhead in an observation room "You really think he's the best chance they've got?" Winter asked unsure.

"I've seen him in action, Winter. He's good, very good... and he's patient"

"That's it? He's skilled and patient?"

"Patience is one of the best qualities in a teacher, Winter" he smiled at her lightly "Slade will come to surprise you if you let him, I can assure you he's not as bad as you make him out to be"

"I was informed of all the crimes he committed here while we were gone, General. By your order or not, he's still a criminal"

"Maybe, but not all criminals are bad people, Winter. Sometimes, criminals are just good people trying to do the right thing when no one else will"

The group all moved to the edge of the ring by Qrow and watched as Weiss got into her combat stance in front of Slade. Slade did the same, crossing his arms over his chest "Whenever you're ready" a transparent shield encircled the ring as he said this indicating it was safe to begin.

Weiss launched herself forward with her glyphs and stabbed her blade for Slade's chest. Slade stepped to the right, turning as he struck slamming his knee into her chest and then punching her in the face with his right arm "Don't attack at long range with a short range strike" Slade pointed out as she caught herself "You're giving your opponent too much time to react"

Weiss struck her blade horizontally, using the Dust in her blade to send a wave of fire toward him. Slade dropped beneath it only to find a second one coming straight for his face. Slade pushed himself forward and tucked his body into a straight line as he passed between them. His ears perked up at the sound of multiple glyphs appearing behind him launching ice crystals toward him. Slade used the armor on his arms and legs to block and deflect the shards as he regained his footing, Weiss struck Myrtenaster for his back while she had an opening only to find it was caught underneath Slade's arm, he slammed his elbow into her chest and rolled away from her putting his hands up defensively as he prepared for her next move.

"Very good, those attacks were all perfectly timed. A weaker opponent wouldn't have been able to defend against a combo like that as easily"

"Tyrian could" she sighed in frustration.

"True, but you won't be expected to fight him on your own"

Weiss stabbed the tip of her blade into the ground, summoning Arma Gigas. Slade made no move to stop her, instead waiting to see just how long it took her to fully summon the creature. Once summoned it charged forward and slashed it's blade down at him in a vertical strike. Slade rolled to his left and then leapt on the side of the blade, running up it toward the creature's chest and leaping onto it's helmet slamming his fist into it with the help of his Semblance, destroying it. Wiess launched herself using her glyphs as he struck and stabbed for his chest once more. Slade ducked out of the way just in time as she caught herself on another glyph, she launched herself back at him. Slade caught himself on his hands and spun as he blocked her strikes with the armor on his boots.

Pushing off, he slid onto his back from the ice on the ground beneath him. Weiss stabbed Myrtenaster for his chest only to find the blade caught between his hands stopping just in front of him chest. Slade slammed his heel into her chest throwing her backward, she rolled to a stop having lost her grip on Myrtenaster. Slade stood up and slowly walked toward Weiss as she struggled to catch her breath "That's enough for today" he extended his hand to her, she accepted reluctantly and accepted her weapon back from him.

"That was rather embarrassing" she sighed.

"Ironwood wouldn't have asked me to train you if he didn't think I could beat you in a fight" he laughed "Don't be disappointed, you actually did much better than I expected. I figured you'd be the one with the least amount to learn" he smiled at her.

"Really?"

"Yes, really" he dropped the shield "Blake! You're up next!" he called.

"What's the verdict then?" Weiss asked "What can I do to improve?"

"Honestly?" he crossed his arms "You've already got a good stance, you're combat form is rather versatile despite it's rigid appearance, you have remarkable control over your Semblance and you've integrated it into your style expertly. There were only two main issues I found with you: Your summoning takes too long in the midst of combat if you're not against Grimm or don't have an ally to cover you, and your endurance and stamina are extremely lacking"

"My endurance?" she asked surprised.

"That's right" he nodded as Blake approached "You've shown extraordinary mastery of combat and your Semblance for your age, but despite that... we did only fight for a few minutes and you're winded" he smirked "Focus yourself on endurance training and you'll notice for yourself how much easier combat will be overall. You'll likely want to focus on hand-to-hand while you're at it, I wasn't able to test that before you tired out on me"

"Thanks" she smiled, happy at his praise.

Blake placed herself across from him as Weiss exited the arena, the shield went up and she attacked without hesitation. Slade barely managed to slide back away from her first strike, she was moving at incredibly high speeds. Slade elected to block and dodge her strikes rather than try and match her speed. Blake struck for his head only to meet his gauntlet, splitting Gambol Shroud she struck for his legs and chest. Slade ducked back slightly to avoid the higher strike and lifted his right leg over her strike as he shifted his left to block it giving him an opening to strike. Slade grabbed her right hand and kicked her in the chest, but found he had missed when she used her Semblance to avoid his strike, throwing herself to the right.

Having grabbed her arm previously, he pulled her back toward him and flipping forward he slammed his boot into her back, crashing her into the ground. Slade flipped back away from Blake as she fired Gambol Shroud at him, deflecting her shots. Blake goes in close and becomes a blur of afterimages as she slashes both blades at Slade, who backs away and deflects each would-be blow with his gauntlets at unbelievable speeds. Blake continues to dash, hop over, and slide around Slade to try and find a weak spot. Slade grabs her left arm and slung her around his shoulder throwing her backward with a kick to her abdomen.

Slade fire several shots from his left gauntlet at Blake, she easily deflected them then threw Gambol Shroud at him in pistol form. Slade caught it and pulled Blake toward him with both hands, flipping over her strike as she soared toward him. Blake twisted around after finding her footing and struck for his face, Slade caught her arms by her wrists and wrenched her weapon away from her and kneed her in the chest. Blake stumbled back several feet, groaning in pain.

Blake used her Semblance to throw herself toward Slade, flipping as she did and kicking her legs at his face as he blocked with his gauntlets. Slade pushed her backward with his arm, flipping her next to her shadow. Blake grabbed her shadow by the legs and threw it toward Slade, he struck the shadow and it dissipated as he made contact with it, surprising Slade. Blake struck Slade with an uppercut, throwing him up into the air, he flipped over and then launched himself back at her using his gauntlets, striking the ground as she used her Semblance to get away yet again.

Blake struck her right hand towards Slade's face and he caught the strike before kicking her in the abdomen, throwing her backward. Blake used her Semblance to throw her back at Slade in the air and slammed her fist into his face, catching him off-guard. Blake kicked for his head and he ducked under the strike, followed by slamming his head into her chin and striking his right arm at her.

Blake blocked the strike easily and countered with her own, he ducked beneath it. Blake followed her attack with thrusting her knee up into his chest as he blocked with his left arm and slammed her left arm down at him from above, meeting his right. Slade slammed both of his fists into her chest and knocked her to the ground beside her weapon "Very good" he smirked "I think I have seen everything I need to"

Blake forced herself to her feet, scooping up her weapon as she did "And?"

"Your endurance is clearly substantial considering you don't even look fatigued, you excel at highspeed combat keeping your opponents off balance rather than using brute force, you stop them from being able to figure out your next move. I'll admit you gave me a run for my money" he laughed "You've also got considerable ability when it comes to hand-to-hand, couple that with your quick reflexes and your Semblance... I would say your biggest problem is being too fast"

"Huh?" she looked confused.

"You've trained yourself to fight at high speeds, you struggle against opponents who can do the same due to being unable to keep them off balance which is your main advantage. However this is not the case, you always have the advantage in a fight due to your incredible reflexes. Focus on slowing down a bit, taking the time to get a read on your opponent before striking haphazardly. I think you'll find it much easier to keep stronger or more experienced opponents off balance if you figure out what exactly that balance is first" he explained.

"So, I need to slow down..." she pondered "It makes sense, I did struggle with Adam when we fought because of his speed being able to match mine. It's why I wasn't able to get away from him in Argus, but I was just fast enough to keep ahead"

"Good. If you rely on your speed 24/7 you'll find opponents like Tyrian will be able to easily keep up with you. If you learn to start slow and then gradually work your way up, you'll have better luck tiring them out before you start speeding up. It's not often someone would be able to match your endurance in a fight, use that to your advantage"

"Got it" she smiled.

"He's a natural" Qrow laughed.

"He kinda sounds like you when you were teaching me, Uncle Qrow" Ruby smiled.

Qrow looked over at him "Yeah" he smiled "He does"

"Nora!" he called

"Yes! My turn!" she rushed past Blake.

"I already know your style relies heavily around overwhelming and explosive force" Slade said as he raised the shield "You use wide arcs for your attacks to build momentum before striking. I saw your Semblance first hand back at Haven, so I know you posses extraordinary strength even without it" he got into his stance as she did the same "Show me what else you've got"

Nora and Slade began trading blows, she primarily used Magnhild and downward strikes which he easily avoided due to her lack of speed.

"How do you think he's picking the order we go in?" Yang asked.

"He started with me because he said I had the most discipline" Weiss pointed out.

"He meant to say you have the most training" Qrow chuckled "He's picking from the strongest to the weakest in terms of being able to fight him"

"What!? Weiss isn't the strongest!" Ruby shouted exasperatedly.

"Maybe not, but she and Blake have the least amount to work on" he smirked.

"He's probably going to pick me last then" Oscar shrugged "I don't know almost anything when it comes to fighting"

"Only the stuff Oz and I taught you, plus anything you picked up from Oz subconsciously" Qrow agreed "You're probably right"

Nora fired her hammer and struck down at Slade, he stepped aside and slammed his fist into her chest throwing her backward and placing his hands on the weapon he kept it in place. Nora pulled herself back up and rushed toward Slade, slamming her fist into his chest. Slade caught her fist in his palm and slammed his opposite palm into her collarbone, pushing her backward without hurting her.

"I've seen enough"

"What!? We've barely even started!"

"You haven't improved much in single combat since we last fought, you're better when you're being supported. Your attacks are too obvious, anyone with enough sense could see them coming a mile away. My suggestion to you is figuring out how to move faster without being obvious. If you cannot move fast you must conceal your movements better, if that's too difficult for you, then you'll have to speed up your strikes. Give yourself a few days of practice and figure out which method suits you better" he turned to the group "Ren!"

Nora grumbled all the way to her seat. Yang was starting to get annoyed at not getting picked, believing he was choosing based off of skill.

"Alright, Ren. I didn't see much of your fighting skill when we first met" he smirked "Let's remedy that"

Ren nodded as the shield was raised firing Stormflower while rushing forward. Slade blocked with one hand and fired back with the other. Ren leapt over Slade as he reached him firing as he did. Slade swiftly kicked his leg across Ren's hands, knocking Stormflower aside, knowing long range wasn't going to be an issue for him. Ren used a palm strike for his chest, Slade used his left palm to catch the strike by his forearm and then punched Ren with his opposite arm in the face, stumbling him back slightly. Ren used his Aura to block Slade's next strike and then switched to using it offensively, sliding Slade back several feet. Slade and Ren traded blows blindingly quick without either landing a hit on the other. Slade fired Defiance into Ren's chest as he used his Aura to defend himself, he fired several more shots, throwing him back as he couldn't block them all in his current state.

Ren got onto one knee and struggled to catch his breath "Good, you lack endurance like Weiss but you've mastered your Aura for defense and offense enough that it shouldn't be a problem in most cases. Unfortunate that your Semblance has no practical combat usages against anything but Grimm" Slade sighed lightly as he loaded his weapon once more "You've got a clear mastery of martial arts but lack the ability to maintain it against brute force for long" Slade explained.

"I understand" Ren nodded "I will begin working on my endurance with Weiss right away"

Slade grunted in acknowledgment "Ruby! You're up next"

Yang's annoyance was not improving as he continued to pick others over her "He can't be picking by who has the least to work on, right? Ruby has had less training than anybody here aside from Oscar"

"We don't even know why he's picking anyone in the order he is picking" Qrow offered "Could be anything, so don't worry about it. If it's really bothering you, why don't you ask him?"

"Maybe he's picking from who he likes from least to most?" Jaune added trying to be helpful.

"He better not!" Weiss glared earning a laugh from the group slightly lightening Yang's mood.

"Ready?" Ruby asked, receiving a curt nod she used her Semblance to rush toward him. Slade fired Defiance at her, Ruby split in two around the bullet and reconnected behind him "The hell?" Slade twisted around and blocked Crescent Rose arcing down toward his face with his gauntlets _Ruby's Semblance is supposed to be speed, what the hell kind of Semblance was that?_ he wondered. Slade pushed Crescent Rose back and flipped backward over a horizontal strike for his chest. Slade fired Defiance in the air forcing Ruby to block the round with the hilt of the weapon and spun it behind her, striking for his right side as he got his footing.

Slade ducked beneath the scythe and slammed his heel into the end of it, swinging it back around behind her. Slade followed by spinning with the kick and kicking her across the face with his opposite boot. Ruby thrusted the hilt of Crescent Rose into his face, stumbling him back slightly then flipping over him. She sliced horizontally for his chest as he turned, stepping just out of range to avoid it. Pulling Crescent Rose over her head, she sliced downward as his wrist blades emerged from his gauntlets, blocking the strike with his right hand and directing her weapon to his left as he turned his right side to her front. Ruby flipped her scythe in her hand and sliced upward, forcing Slade to duck back out of the way of the blade before kicking his right leg into her chin followed by her chest tossing her onto her back.

Slade kicked her in the abdomen as she stood back up, knocking her into the air. He followed and slammed his fist into her abdomen flipping her backward before grabbing her cloak and slamming her into the ground over his shoulder. Slade slammed his heel into the ground just as she fired Crescent Rose to launch herself out of the way and began firing at him. Slade blocked her shots with ease with his gauntlets. Ruby launched herself toward Slade by firing her weapon, Slade clashed his wrist blade against her scythe causing the air around them to explode outward from the force of the strike. Slade smirked, impressed by her capabilities _Guess it's about time we test how reliant she is on this thing_ Slade arced his arm around the center of the handle and flipping over it slammed his heels into her abdomen throwing her backward, wrenching Crescent Rose from her grasp.

Ruby caught herself with her hands and rushed toward him using her Semblance. Slade caught her punch for his face with his palm and matched it with his own. Ruby ducked under it and slammed her fist into the side of his face, stumbling him with her speed. Slade kicked upward, and she used her Semblance to get behind him striking him in the back followed by doing so again in his side knocking him around. Slade smirked "Impressive use of your Semblance to mask your lack of combat skill without a weapon" he twisted away from her next strike and kicked her in the chest, throwing her backward "But you're predictable" he turned toward her and held up his hand for her to stop as she grabbed her weapon.

"What do I have to work on then?" Ruby asked eagerly.

"While you're very skilled when it comes to combating the Grimm, you don't seem to fare so well against ordinary opponents. You're heavily reliant on Crescent Rose and your hand-to-hand capabilities are woefully lacking, you'd make an easy target for common street thugs that way. Without your weapon you'd be almost useless in a fight right now, your best bet would be to use your speed to retreat. Your cloak is also a hazard, it can be easily exploited against you in combat" Slade explained.

"If you think my hand-to-hand is bad now, you should've seen me before Ozpin taught me some tricks in Mistral" she squinted her eyes at him "Don't you have a cloak on too?" she asked accusingly.

"Indeed" he nodded with a smirk "From time to time it has been a hazard to me as well, that's why you must be made aware of it at all times during combat. Your enemy will always use any advantage they can over you. I fight defensively, so my cloak doesn't usually cause problems due to not allowing anyone to get behind me. You fight very aggressively and use your speed and agility to outmatch your opponents. Unfortunately, people aren't like Grimm. If you don't defeat someone quickly, you're going to find yourself being easily beaten. Give it a good three minutes and anyone has probably seen most of your tricks by then"

"Oh... So... I need to work on my hand-to-hand, I figured as much... I also need to work on my awareness and predictability?"

Slade nodded "When you used your speed to keep ahead of me before, you always did every attack in the same order as before. Front, back, side" he listed off on his fingers "Change it up a bit and people won't be able to predict how you'll strike. Don't get set into a habit and stick with it. Adapt to your opponent. You wouldn't fight a Death Stalker the same way you'd fight a Nevermore would you?"

"No, I suppose not" she looked thoughtful for a moment "I think I understand! Thank you, Slade"

Slade nodded "If you need any extra help, don't be afraid to ask" she nodded and turned to exit the ring "Ruby" he called dropping the shield.

"Yeah?" she asked curiously, turning back toward him.

"What did you say your Semblance was again?"

"Super speed?" Ruby asked like it was a trick question "Why?"

"How did you split yourself at the beginning of our match?" Slade asked genuinely curious.

"I don't know... I kinda just... did it... it's not the first time" she answered.

Slade pondered her words for a moment "Perhaps it's not speed at all" he said just above a whisper.

"You say something?"

"Hmm?" he looked up at her "No, no, nothing important. Jaune!" he called.

"Finally!" he yelled getting up and rushing past Ruby.

"Guess I am going last" Yang sighed.

"Tell me about it" Oscar chuckled.

Jaune charged Slade with his Crocea Mors and slashed his blade for Slade's chest. Slade slid back away and kicked up at Jaune's face. Jaune leaned back away from his kick but was forced to use his shield to block the second strike as he dropped his boot down toward his shoulder. Jaune pushed back hard, throwing Slade into the air, he simply flipped back and used his right hand to steady himself as he landed. Jaune swung his blade wildly and with little clear coordination before Slade slipped around behind him from under his previous strike. Slade wrapped his left arm around his neck from behind and flipped him over his shoulder, slamming him into the ground.

"You're strong, you're able to withstand powerful strikes with that shield and your strikes are strong enough that they'd likely knock me off balance were I to actually try and block them rather than dodge" Slade explained as Jaune formed his blade into it's larger claymore form "Your stance is practically perfect too" he pointed out as Jaune charged him.

Slade slid to his left to avoid the strike and slammed his knee into Jaune's chest twice before pushing him back with his palm. Slade flipped sideways and kicked Jaune in the face with both of his legs, sliding him back several meters. Jaune growled in annoyance, charging him once more. Slade waved his hand to the left and threw Jaune to the floor with his Semblance.

"You're disciplined in what you've been taught, but your inexperience is getting the better of you" Slade stepped toward him as he pushed himself up "When we first met you were far more careful than you are now" he held out his hand to Jaune to help him up. Jaune accepted "Now. Let's start again"

Jaune nodded, then lifted his blade over his head to strike "Stop" Slade ordered, confusing Jaune.

"Uh... what am I doing wrong? I didn't even start yet?"

"You're using your sword in the form of a large weapon instead of using it like a longsword as you should be" Slade answered.

"Huh?" he looked confused "Are you saying I should never use this?"

"No, Jaune. I am saying you're fighting an opponent you know uses agility and quick defensive strikes to fight, correct? You've no doubt noticed how I fight long before now given the many examples today alone"

"Well yeah, I did notice but what does that have to do with this?" he gestured to his weapon.

"You cannot attack quickly with that weapon the way it is now. Sure it's meant to be an aggressive weapon, that I can see easily. But slow aggressive tactics against a quick defensive fighter isn't going to get you anywhere. Nora will always have difficulty fighting someone like me due to our differences in speed" he explained "Your weapon is perfectly suited for a defensive and aggressive fighting style much like Qrow's" he gestured over to him.

"Then what do you recommend?"

"Ironwood told you earlier that I analyze my opponents before striking, you analyze as well" he turned to his right and gestured to the open space "If Hazel were to be your opponent, you would want to fight aggressively with your weapon the way it is at current so you could put him down with overwhelming strikes. Cinder for instance is not an opponent you want to take on aggressively, that shield will be the only thing between you and death" he turned back toward him "You should focus on analyzing and waiting for an opening before striking, you're easily the smartest person here next to me, hell you might even be smarter than me for all I know" Jaune changed his blade back into it's longsword form.

"I think I understand"

"Good" Slade smiled "Now, I know you're training has been focused on getting you caught up with your classmates so you haven't really touched on hand-to-hand combat and your Aura is stronger than anyone's I have met so far" he placed his hand on his shoulder as he walked him out of the ring "Focus on developing your Aura as a shield and a weapon, as well as your capability to be patient rather than reckless and you'll be well on your way to being one of the best Huntsmen out there"

"You really think so?" he asked surprised.

"Of course" Slade smiled genuinely "I know that others have accomplished more than you in many aspects of your life until now, so believe me I understand your frustration, and desire to see results, to make a name for yourself... but I can assure you, allowing your impatience and emotions get the better of you in battle will always result in your failure"

Jaune remained silent for a short period before smiling at Slade "Thank you, Slade. I needed to hear that" he turned and headed over towards his friends. Slade placed his gaze onto Yang, she smiled lightly and began to stand up.

"Oscar!" he called surprising her "Get up here" he gestured for him to follow.

Oscar looked at Yang and shrugged "Sorry?" he said unsure of what to say before rushing over to Slade with Ozpin's cane in hand.

"Alright, you haven't had any training outside of what you were taught in Mistral correct?" Slade asked.

"Yeah" he answered with a quick nod.

"Good, that means you have the furthest to go" Slade smiled.

"Yeah, yeah, I know. I have no training and I don't know what I am doing. Shove it in my face more why don't you" he joked.

"Everyone in this room has been where you are right now, Oscar" Slade laughed "Never be afraid to be the only idiot in a room full of geniuses"

"Huh?" Oscar looked confused "Why is that a good thing? Wouldn't you want to be the smartest one in the room?"

"If you're always the smartest guy in the room, you'll never grow. People grow and evolve by what they learn from others, be it directly or indirectly. The dumbest one in the room has the most amount of room to learn, and therefore the most room to grow. You may even find you can grow beyond your teachers someday"

"Oh... that makes sense... and it actually does make me feel better" he smiled "Thanks"

"Yeah, yeah" Slade waved off "We're here to kick the crap out of each other, so let's get to it already" he got into his combat stance. Oscar followed shortly afterward, ready to attack with The Long Memory.

 _Oscar's Aura is fused with Ozpin's and has full access to his memories... Ozpin was able to maintain his original dexterity and motor control during our fight in Haven for the period he was in control but even then Oscar was still aware of what was going on around him. Once Oscar regains control of his body, he loses that level of coordination... I am curious to see just how much of Ozpin is still in there subconsciously_

Yang slumped against the wall, she had given up at this point. She now knew she would be the last one to fight.

Oscar leapt forward striking his cane down at Slade, he slid back away from the strike and kicked both of his legs upward. Oscar flipped over Slade and thrusted his cane toward his back. Slade arced his right arm up as he turned and caught the cane with the underside of his elbow. Slade raised his right leg to strike Oscar's face, noticing this as soon as he moved, Oscar ducked beneath the strike. Slade noticed his movement and switched to a downward kick, slamming Oscar into the ground and losing his grip on the cane.

Slade flipped backward and flipped the cane around in his hand as Oscar picked himself up. Ruby leaned over to Yang "Is Slade really going to go all out on Oscar?" she asked nervously.

"He hasn't really been using his Semblance much with any of us today. I doubt he's going to switch that up for Oscar, so no" she answered honestly.

"Phew" Ruby wiped her brow in relief "Was getting a bit worried there for a second"

Oscar rushed forward, pulling his arm back to strike Slade. Oscar found his fist caught in Slade's grip and was smacked across the face with the cane. Slade made no move to attack him further.

"So what now you're just gonna smack me around with a cane like an old man?" Oscar asked rubbing his sore cheek.

"Your senses are heightened" Slade answered.

"Huh?" Oscar looked confused.

"I imagine it's your subconscious connection to Ozpin, but you notice my attacks before I even start making them" he explained "When you notice an attack, don't immediately dodge if you're going to leave yourself open to attack" Slade held The Long Memory in his right hand and prepared to swing it at Oscar, he ducked under the strike as he swung and stood back up straight his attention on the cane "Look at me"

Oscar turned his focus onto Slade "Okay"

"You can still see this right?" he referred to the cane.

"Yeah"

Slade moved the cane like he was going to strike and Oscar ducked once more, as Slade stopped in place "No, no, no" Slade said calmly "Relax, Oscar. Nothing has happened yet, focus on me and breathe" he instructed "If you respond to what I might do, you'll find you're unable to focus on what's important. You will have to make that decision when the time comes, not before and you can't afterward because it's too late. If you move too soon" he slowly moved the cane like he was attacking to demonstrate "Move now" Oscar ducked "I'll change tactics and just hit you from above instead of across" he lightly tapped on his head with the cane "Notice I did that before when I had you caught in my grip"

"I'm not sure I understand"

Slade pondered for a moment before smiling "Move when you think I should move, I am going to swing slowly" Slade moved the cane very slowly to attack him, Oscar ducked as it was just about to pass over his shoulder "Very good" Slade smirked "That time I would've had too much momentum on my swing to stop myself and change my strike, you understand?"

"I think so, you want me to react to a problem, not react to the possibility"

"Very well said" Slade genuinely smiled before kicking for his chest. Oscar slid to his left and then flipped backward over a second kick and caught his cane between his hands as Slade thrusted it toward his chest, he grinned "Very well done, Oscar. Big difference" he flipped the cane over and handed it back to him "This isn't the problem, it's me" he pointed to himself "I am the problem. Always keep you focus on the problem and not the distraction. If you focus on the distraction, you'll cause yourself to be paranoid by what could happen and not what is happening. Respond to today's problem before worrying about tomorrow's. Fear is a choice, it is a product of our imagination of something that does not at current, and may not ever exist" Oscar accepted the cane back.

"Have you ever thought about being a teacher?" Oscar asked.

"No" Slade's eyebrow raised "Why?"

"I think you'd be really good at it" he smiled, Slade matched his with a slight shake of his head.

"Go on, we're done for today. You and I will likely be having many more one on one sessions from here on out" he gestured to Yang "You're up, Yang!"

"Finally!" she shouted standing.

Yang rushed to the center before Oscar even had the chance to move "Woah" he back up two steps in surprise "Someone is eager" he laughed.

"You made me wait long enough, Slade. Let's go!" she punched her fists into the air in front of her eagerly.

 _Seems like it worked_ Slade smirked "Oscar, go ahead and take your seat so we can begin" he nodded toward the group. Oscar quickly moved out of the ring as to not annoy the clearly impatient Yang.

The second the shield was raised, Yang charged Slade. He seemed to anticipate her move and locked her forearm between his arms and kicked her twice in the chest before flipping over her arm and kicking her in the face, spinning her through the air. Yang quickly picked herself up and charged forward as he did the same. Slade flipped himself forward, slamming his shoulder toward her face as she blocked with her left Ember Celica, sliding on her knees beneath him. They both slid to a stop behind the other and twisted around to attack.

Yang slid on her side for Slade's legs, he hopped over her twisting to face her as he regained his footing. Yang pushed herself off the ground with her hands and kicked for his face. Slade stepped back, leaning back away from the kick as she twisted toward him. Yang leapt up, following up with three kicks for his chest as he blocked with both his gauntlets, as the last kick connected, she remained in the air and swung her opposite leg for his head, forcing Slade to duck forward to avoid it.

Yang stood back up straight and twisted around punching for his face twice, he easily deflected her strikes. Yang spun around, the back of her prosthetic arm for his face, firing as she did to increase the speed of her strike. Slade ducked beneath it then leapt up to avoid her kick for his left knee, tucking his legs in, he slammed his heels into Yang's chest knocking her backward, she slid to a stop. Slade caught himself on his hands and flipped back onto his feet, pushing off the ground with his heels, he struck his fist for Yang.

Yang blocked the strike to her chest with her arm but failed to blocked the follow up jab for her face, stumbling her slightly. Slade placed his hands on the ground and standing on them kicked both of his heels, one after the other into Yang's face before returning to his normal stance. Yang's eyes flashed red and she swung wildly for his head and then his chest. Slade ducked under the first strike and then slid to his right away from the second before pulling his arms to his face to block two more strikes for his head. Yang attempted to uppercut him but he stepped back just in time to avoid it.

Yang twisted with her strike and kicked for his abdomen twice, she managed to land the first but he blocked the second then ducked as she twisted around to swing her leg for his head. Slade swung for her head with his fist as she ducked back away from it then blocked his next strike for her abdomen with his opposite hand. Yang struck for his head, which he barely managed to avoid, not having the time to block.

Yang and Slade continued to trade blows for several minutes with neither landing a hit. Yang's Aura flared even more as her anger got the better of her, she attempted to slam her fist into Slade's chest with everything she had, but he matched her strike and their fist's collided, her metal one striking his armored glove. Slade winced in pain but continued nonetheless, he matched her next strike as she kicked for his face, both of their legs clashing with the other. Tucking his leg around her knee, he forced her down and smashed his fist into her face.

Slade didn't ease up and slammed both of his fists into her chest one after the other, then slammed his knee into her abdomen before she managed to recover enough to defend herself. Yang blocked his next strike with her right forearm, then placed both her arms together to block his next strike. Stepping back, she managed to avoid another strike and caught his arm underneath her own for his next using her left knee and forearm. Latching onto his wrist she used her Semblance and smashed her fist into his chest then followed with a kick to it, throwing him onto his back.

Sliding on his back, Slade caught himself on his hands and flipped to his feet, sliding to a stop. Looking up at Yang, he smirked "I figured as much"

"Figured what?" Yang asked not understanding.

"You get stronger from taking damage, but your frustration can easily be exploited by skilled opponents, Yang. Haven't you noticed yet?" Slade asked.

Yang thought back to their previous encounters and experiences watching him fight including what she witnessed today "You... you haven't even been trying to fight me" she lowered her hands in shock "Why? You pulled out all the stops when you fought the others, you even used your own Semblance when necessary... why not with me?"

"Why do you think I made you wait so long before calling you in?" Slade crossed his arms over his chest "You were getting upset every time I didn't pick you. I noticed your temper boils over far too easily and now I got to see how your frustration affects your abilities in a fight"

"You weren't choosing me last because I was the worst, you did it because you wanted me angry?"

"I would've chosen you much sooner had that not been the case" he explained.

"Oh" Yang rubbed the back of her head sheepishly.

"From what I saw of your matches during the Vytal Festival, you've got more control over it now then back then. You used my force against me very well despite my overall lack of effort. You also seem to struggle against kick-based fighting styles like my own, picked up on that after your match with Mercury, though you more or less seem to have adapted better for that as well" he smiled proudly "However, you upset yourself just as easily as someone else could. I am quite well-versed when it comes to dodging and blocking attacks, this frustrated you, which only made you more predictable and easily avoided. If you were to use your Semblance then, you likely would miss and be out of energy" he explained as he approached her.

"Yeah..." she looked disappointed "I didn't even mean to use my Semblance on you... I just-"

"Your anger causes you to unintentionally activate it, I have seen it once or twice even when we weren't in battle"

Yang laughed lightly "Dad said it's "basically a temper tantrum" Slade laughed as well.

"Well it is certainly a liability when facing stronger or more experienced opponents if they're able to evade or even just outlast the duration of it. This of course would leave you too weak and tired to properly defend yourself, leaving you vulnerable"

"I know" Yang sighed "Dad and I had a talk about it. He said it's better to be used as a last resort rather than a crutch, I was over relying on it to win every match during the tournament" she explained annoyed that she doesn't have better control yet.

"Trust me, Yang. I understand where you're at right now" he placed a hand onto her shoulder "When I was first learning how to use my Semblance it wasn't an easy thing to control, I see yours was easy to learn how to use but not how to reel in. I had several times where I accidentally destroyed things I was trying to manipulate in my first year" he laughed.

"How did you learn to stop doing it on instinct?" she asked curiously.

"Honestly? I learned better control over my emotions, not my Semblance. That came later"

"But if I can't control my Semblance then what good is it to have control over my emotions?"

"Your Semblance like my own is emotionally triggered" Slade explained as they exited the ring "Controlling you emotions is controlling your Semblance. Once you've got a grip on that temper of yours, you'll be able to use it at will instead of just whenever something annoys you too much" he explained "Why don't you take the time and look at my old matches from when I was first in the Vytal Festival" he suggested "It might show you a bit of what I am talking about"

"Didn't you win the Vytal Festival and become the champion that year?" Yang asked.

"I did, but I assure you it was not so easy as Ozpin and Qrow made it seem" he laughed "I honestly wasn't even very good at strategy back then, I could figure out my enemy before they could do the same to me, but that didn't mean I knew what to do with that information. That tournament was probably the best teacher for strategizing and tactics than any of the professors at Beacon"

"Bet I could've won mine if it wasn't for Cinder" she growled.

"I would've liked to see that match" Slade laughed "From the looks of it that year, Pyrrha and you would've been the ones in the final bracket. Either way, someone from Beacon would've won then"

"Better than somebody from Atlas" she laughed.

"Anywhere else winning is better than Atlas" Qrow agreed as the two reached them.

"So, then. Everyone knows what they need to work on" Slade addressed the group "If anyone has any questions, needs additional assistance, or just wants to go another round" he smirked "Just let me know, otherwise most of my time is going to be spent training Oscar or being trained by Qrow"

"There's not really a whole lot I could teach you from what I saw today, Kid" Qrow smirked "But if you're looking to lose to me, then be my guest" he chuckled.

"Any improvement is good at this point, Qrow. There's always something we can learn, you can learn a thing or two as well" Slade answered seriously before smirking back at him "Oh, and as to you winning. Bring it, Old Man" Qrow's smirk dropped into a frown at his comment.

"Don't call me old again, Kid"

"Whatever you say, Bird Boy" Slade waved off, Qrow groaned. The group laughed at their friendly dynamic.

Ironwood smiled brightly "I told you he would do well"

"I must admit... I am surprised" Winter looked toward him "I knew he was skilled, but I didn't expect him to be such a natural teacher"

"Well he's actually always been a bit of a slow learner when he was young" Ironwood chuckled "His parents started his training early because they were worried he wouldn't be good enough to get into Beacon by the time he came of age, turns out he got accepted early because of just how good he was"

"Sure, but he wasn't a prodigy or anything. Slade just ended up having been trained from an early age" Winter added following Ironwood out of the room.

"Of course, that's why it took Slade so long to learn how to use his Semblance. He's a smart kid and can understand things faster than others can, but when it comes to physical things... you might as well have been throwing the book at him. He only learned something when he figured it out for himself"

"Then it is doubly surprising he is as skilled as he is" Winter corrected.

"Ozpin started showing him some things personally, not to mention Qrow took him on as his personal student after everything that happened to his family. Qrow only started teaching Ruby when Slade had managed to learn nearly everything he could teach him"

"That's when Ozpin stepped in I assume?"

"Ozpin helped him sparingly throughout his time learning from Qrow, but he did take a more direct role in his training during his last year knowing Qrow's new obligations. Slade only managed to master his Semblance due to Ozpin's tutelage" he explained.

"That would explain his reluctance to use it during the Vytal Festival"

"You remember?" Ironwood asked surprised.

"I researched him rather extensively after he arrived here in Atlas with my sister" she answered.

"Ah" he became silent, pondering over something as they walked.

"Something wrong, General?"

"I am wondering what our next move should be... with Slade's guidance those kids should start improving rather quickly, but what then? How're we supposed to ensure we're protected when Salem comes for Atlas if we don't even know her plans?"

"Permission to speak freely, Sir"

"Granted"

"I believe you're doing everything you can right now. The only way we're going to find out who it is, is if we start cracking down harder on security"

"The citizens aren't going to just accept more restrictions, especially the Faunus. Not after what happened"

"Perhaps, but couldn't you tell them something? Anything? The people need to know you're keeping their best interest at heart"

"I can't" Ironwood sighed "If I tell them anything right now, any suspicions we have. Our mysterious hacker is going to disappear or stop his work completely, for all we know he's sabotaged more than just our drones, and fake orders"

"Then at the very least we should put something into place to stop our troops from receiving these false orders, perhaps Doctor Watts could keep an eye on the security while Doctor Polendina is doing his work?"

"You really want to involve Arthur in this?" Ironwood asked "He's busy enough making sure our security is uncrackable for the incoming attack"

"We don't even know when the attack is coming, Sir. It could be tomorrow or it could be next month. All we know is that someone who doesn't even need to hack us is messing around in our security systems"

"How can we be sure Arthur isn't the one responsible?" Ironwood asked her curiously.

"I can't give you a definitive reason as to why we should trust him with what's going on, but there's only three people from the original team that made our security program and are still alive. Polendina is already revoking the others access to narrow down the search"

"It's entirely possible that none of them are involved, but they're all likely suspects. Make sure you double the guard at the polls. We don't want the election to be hit now of all times"

"Understood... what about Dr. Watts?"

"Give Pietro some time to get some progress on the data reconstruction, a few days at the most, then tell Arthur I want to see him in my office. In the meantime keep the others off duty so they have time to train. I want them all fit for action"

"Yes, General"

Back in the arena the group had all started working on what Slade had told them, Slade approached Qrow while Oscar waited patiently for him "Qrow"

"Hmm?" he asked raising an eyebrow.

"Do you mind taking over with Oscar for today, I need a bit of a break" Qrow laughed.

"After fighting all of them individually, I imagine you do" he nodded "Go ahead, kid. I got him" he walked over to Oscar and explained the situation while Slade exited the room.

Slade quickly made his way to the nearest bathroom and locked himself inside, deactivating his Semblance. Slade collapsed onto the counter painfully, pulling himself up to the sink he spat the blood from his mouth and groaned in pain. Stripping down his top half, he checked his chest for any outlying wounds but found nothing "What the hell?" he wondered. Running his hands along the left side of his abdomen he felt the pain shoot through his body once more "Dammit!" he cursed under his breath from the pain.

* * *

"Are you going to be at the party later?" a tall man with brown scruffy hair and matching eyes asked, his clothes were quite fancy and official looking.

"No, I think I am going to turn in for the night. I have got the next few weeks off due to what's been going on down in Mantle. They want the "Best publisher" on the job instead of me" a blonde girl significantly shorter than him answered annoyed, using quotes with her hands as she did. She had blue eyes and dressed rather causally.

"That's harsh" he winced.

"Yeah, I know" she sighed "I just really want to have a shower and get to bed right now, it's been a long day"

"Go ahead, you deserve one after today" he agreed "I'll be sure to save some of the food for you at my place!" he called as he turned to leave.

"Thanks, your the best!" she shouted after him. She unlocked her door and entered her apartment, the apartment gave her a magnificent view of the city of Atlas "She dropped her keys onto the table and made her way toward the bathroom. A crisp knock sounded at her door "What now?" she asked exasperated.

"Housekeeping" a female voice called from the other side.

"Ugh" she walked over to the door "I am tired, and I just want to take a shower. Can you come back later-" she opened the door and was confused "Wait a minute, we don't have housekeeping-" she stopped abruptly as she felt a pain in her abdomen, she looked down to find a obsidian blade piercing her. She tried to scream for help but Cinder grabber her throat with her opposite hand.

"Sorry, we're really insistent" she grinned pushing her back into the apartment, she snapped her neck and dropped her to the ground "Dispose of her, Neo" she ordered much to Neo's annoyance. She nonetheless did so as quickly as possible. Once she was done she returned to the apartment and entered to find Cinder overlooking the city "This is much better don't you think?"

Neo huffed in annoyance "I know, I know. You're impatient to kill Ruby. Believe me I am too, but we can't just do it outright. Besides, they have a relic with no way of locking it up yet as they don't even know where the Winter Maiden is" she grinned "Once we learn about her, we will dispose of Ruby, acquire both the relics and deliver them to Salem as a show of good will. Of course, I will be taking Winter's power as well. We wouldn't want one of Ozpin's brats getting ahold of them now would we?" Neo shook her head.

"Good" Cinder turned back toward Neo "Ruby is not to be harmed until the Winter Maiden is located. Find a way to stay close to them without them noticing, learn what you can as you have been. I want results" Neo rolled her eyes, flipping out her notepad.

"How exactly do you expect me to get results on something only Ironwood knows?" she wrote, handing the paper to Cinder.

"I don't care what you do, he knows who she is, where she is. I want to know where he's hiding her!" Cinder angrily replied "Ironwood must have a file somewhere mentioning who it is, find out who!"

Neo placed the pad back into her pocket and quickly exited the apartment not wishing to be in her presence any longer. Cinder stood alone, she crossed her arms "Where are you hiding, Winter" she smiled "I am going to find you soon enough"

* * *

 **(A few days later)**

Slade stood in front of Jaune, Ruby, Nora and Ren "You all worked well together when we first met in Mistral, now let's see how much you've improved your teamwork since then"

Slade immediately takes out his wrist blades in a seamless motion and moves to attack Ruby. Ren intervenes, Stormflower clashing with Slade's wrist blades, Ren kicked for Slade's face. Slade blocked with his right leg, then blocked the rounds fired at him with his left gauntlet. Slade pushed his arm forward, forcing Ren back onto his right hand as he blocked the blade with his left, Slade kicked for his face, twisting with the attack. Ren moved his right leg over to his left side, flipping himself over around his kick just before Slade threw him backward with a second kick to his back.

Slade turns to go after Ruby again, who rushed forward with Crescent Rose to meet him. Slade uses his blades to block the scythe and kicks Ruby backward, using her scythe to flip backward with the kick. She easily remains upright and swings for his chest, he manages to kick the scythe to his left around her side and moves to strike her chest. Slade manages to land a strike on Ruby's right arm, causing her to cry out at the pain. She's doesn't break stride however and leaps back to take a swing at him with her scythe. Slade dodges and lands a glancing blow against the body of Crescent Rose, managing to strike her as well, causing her Aura to shimmer across the area of the strike.

Jaune steps in at that moment and Slade places his boot onto the blade, kicking backward, he send Jaune flying as he landed on Magnhild confusing Nora as she rushed toward him. Slade kicked her across the face, knocking her down as he flipped away. Jaune rushed him again, swinging his sword for Slade's back. Slade turned and caught the blade between his hands and slammed his head into Jaune's before kicking him away.

"Jaune, there's a shield in your hand. Block with it! If I were an enemy you'd be dead" Slade warned.

Jaune groaned "Sorry, I'm being too aggressive again"

Slade shook his head "No excuses. I will not be holding back, Jaune. You all must be prepared for a real fight not a practice one" Slade moves fast to attack Jaune from behind.

"Jaune!" Ren shouts to alert him.

Ren deliberately shoots Jaune's shield so that the ricochet hits Slade. Slade covers his eyes with his arm and then cartwheels onto Jaune's shield, using his blades to spin in the air against it. Ruby steps in to face Slade on his descent, but he just kicks her to the side. She regains her ground by using Crescent Rose to steady herself. Jaune takes a swing with his sword at Slade, but he simply deflects it with his right leg and kicks him away as well.

Nora rushes Slade from behind, moving over his right shoulder and coming before him just in time to hit him with Magnhild. The blast from the contact has the other three covering their eyes from the backlash of air and dust, Jaune actually taking cover behind his shield. The air clears to reveal a perfectly fine Slade on his back, using his legs to block Magnhild. He kicks Nora twice in the face before leaping backwards with his hands away from her.

"Much better, Jaune. Nora, you've gotten faster. I love seeing improvement" Slade smirked.

Slade leapt at Ruby, using his right leg he kicked Crescent Rose down. Though surprised, Ruby didn't lose her grip on it. Slade kicked with his opposite leg for her face as she stepped back away from it. Ruby slashed for his chest just as he leaned back under it. Slamming his fist into her chest, she flew back several feet as he turns on Ren.

Slade shot Defiance for his head twice, Ren shifted around the shots. Slamming his boot into Ren's back as he charged him, he threw him to his left as Jaune rushed him. Kicking for his chest, Jaune blocked with his shield, sliding back several feet as Nora approaches him. Slade blocked her strike with his leg and flipping over Magnhild kicked her backward.

Without missing a beat, Slade goes after Ruby again. In quick succession, he delivers a right hook to her face and a left blow to her torso, He turns and swings his leg to knock her back into the air. She flies back several feet and he rushes forward to meet her before she lands. While Ruby's still midair, he kicks her right in the abdomen, causing a large red shimmer over her abdomen and hips.

Yang approached the group and watched Slade help Ruby up off the ground "You've all made improvements, but you're not doing very well with teamwork"

"We're not usually the ones fighting together" Ruby gestured to JNPR "Weiss, Blake and Yang are much easier for me to work with because we have done it so much"

"I don't care if you're not teammates, Ruby. You don't always get to choose who you're fighting alongside, a good Huntress should be able to work well with fighters of all kinds"

"Easy for you to say" Jaune groaned as he made his way over "You win every fight you're in"

"You exaggerate" Slade chuckled "I may be a formidable opponent now, but I didn't start out that way, Jaune. I can guarantee you there are plenty of people I couldn't take on my own, Tyrian Callows is one of them"

"Having fun teaching?" Yang asked with a laugh.

"Somebody's gotta make sure you're all ready when Salem gets here, I am not losing anyone else to-" Slade sighed "Sorry, I doubt you need lectures from me"

Yang smirked, crossing her arms over her chest "No, but if you have one prepared I would love to hear it... Professor" she winked.

Slade Laughs "Perhaps another time" he stares into her beautiful lilac eyes "I, uh..." he cleared his throat "There's still a lot of work to be done"

"Slade" Winter called from behind him, Oscar and Qrow in tow "General Ironwood would like to speak with you"

Slade smirked "As I was saying" he turned back toward the group "Keep training! You're not even near ready to face Salem's forces yet" he turned back to Yang "Care to join them?"

"Nah" she shook her head "Weiss was hoping to get some time in with Blake for her endurance training. I'll train later tonight once they've finished up"

"Good" Slade smirked.

"Sometime today, kids" Qrow called as he followed after Winter leading them out.

"I'll catch up with you later"

"You'd better" she punched him in the arm.

"Hey" he laughed before following after Qrow.

"You're getting awfully chummy with my niece, Kid" he smirked.

"Don't start" Slade rolled his eyes.

"Hey, there's nothing wrong with it" he shrugged "It's good you're making friends, just be careful you don't overstep your bounds"

"Is that supposed to be a threat, Bird Boy?" Slade cocked an eyebrow.

"A warning"

"You know I am not scared of you, Qrow" Slade chuckled.

"I wasn't the one I was warning you about. You wouldn't like Yang when she's upset" he smirked at Slade's reaction.

"No one wants that" he shuddered.

* * *

 **That's all for this time, I wouldn't expect the next chapter to be as long as this one, but hey you never know! Anyway, thanks for taking the time to read for this long, I still can't believe it's been a whole year already since I first published this story. Thank you guys for sticking with me all this time!**


	25. Election

**Hey guys! I was able to get this chapter done really quick due to everything being closed right now! Been stuck at home with a lot of free time. I want to thank everyone for their kind words and messages regarding the not so constuctive review from a few days ago. Honestly it gave me a good laugh, reading it. Now, for everyone who has been messaging me worried I would be taking the closing words of that review to heart, fear not. I have absolutely no intention of scrapping this story at any point, I'm loving writing it too much to do that. With that out of the way I just want to thank you guys again for keeping with me for this long and being as supportive as you have been. Enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing!**

"Speech"

 _Thoughts_

* * *

 **Chapter Twenty-Five: Election**

Ironwood sat at his desk, his fingertips resting against each other in front of him. He sighed from mental exhaustion. A crisp knock at the door brought him back at attention "Enter"

Winter led Qrow, Oscar and Slade inside "General" she saluted "Dr. Watts has been alerted you require his presence. I estimate at least fifteen minutes until he arrives"

Ironwood nodded "Then we should make this quick" he looked to Oscar "Still nothing from Oz?" he asked hopeful.

"No, General" Oscar sighed "Nothing"

"Fine then" he stood from his place and slowly made his way in front of them.

"What's this about James?" Qrow asked concerned.

"Tomorrow night an election for the open council seat will conclude... we don't have many people who seem to be stepping up to the plate right now, and as the military leader as well as the school headmaster I hold two of the five seats currently. The remaining two councilors don't appreciate how difficult it is to hold a vote at the moment" he explained.

"Right" Qrow nodded in understanding "Slade was the one who removed the previous councilor"

"Correct" Ironwood nodded "Everyone who has been running recently has been former enemies of McLaren. With her out of the way they're looking to expand their own power much like she did before starting her own criminal network"

"What is the council doing to fill the vacant seat?" Oscar asked curiously.

"They've been rushing to get the seat filled, money has changed hands multiple times to move along the election process" Ironwood answered.

"Sounds to me like they really wanted to make sure you can't just march to war with the other kingdoms" Qrow concluded.

"I imagine they wanted to make sure I didn't enact martial law. Without the council's approval my hands are tied, and without a clear threat they would never allow it"

"So? What do you want from us?" Slade asked narrowing his eyes.

"I received an intelligence report from a trusted source, that someone is going to be influencing the outcome of the election... I want you to keep an eye on things in the city when you're not training to help maintain the legitimacy of the election" he explained.

"You think our hacker is going to pull something?" Oscar asked.

"More than likely" Winter answered.

"Of course" Qrow groaned.

"Unfortunately I don't have any leads as to who our mystery hacker could be at this point beyond what we already know" he shook his head "That's why I need you all to be keeping an eye on things during the election. Winter and Penny are going to be pouring over every order given to my troops so something like this doesn't happen again, but if they know we're onto them and make a move that doesn't involve my men... you understand why I am so concerned"

"We'll get the job done, General" Slade answered "We're going to need the others for help though"

"Understood" Ironwood nodded "Oscar" he turned toward him as he stepped behind his desk, opening a drawer and reaching inside "I have a more important task for you" he lifted the Relic of Knowledge out of the desk.

"What!?" Qrow asked in shock "I thought you secured it-"

"I did" Ironwood sighed "Unfortunately, if someone working for Salem has security access, then they'll have access to even our deepest vaults. Without the Winter Maiden securing it for us, I need someone I can trust to look after it" he approached Oscar "I know you're not actually Ozpin right now, Oscar... but I can see you have what it takes to be a great Huntsman" he handed him the relic.

"T-thank you, General" he smiled "I will do my best to keep it safe"

"Good, I might've asked Penny to hold onto it but... with Polendina being a possible suspect, I don't want to allow him easy access to it"

"Why don't you ask Maria for help?" Oscar asked "I am sure she could keep an eye on Dr. Polendina and make sure he isn't up to anything"

"Not a bad idea" Qrow agreed.

"I agree, but I don't think-" Ironwood was interrupted by a knock at the door "Enter"

Dr. Watts entered the room "General, you asked for-" he stopped when he noticed the others "Oh, am I interrupting something?" Oscar quickly placed the relic on his hip, keeping himself behind Qrow to make sure Watts didn't see it.

"No" Ironwood returned to his desk "You're dismissed" he nodded to the others "Come in, Arthur. I need your help for something"

"Of course" Watts entered as Oscar and Qrow exited.

"What would you have the rest of us do?" Slade asked referring to Ruby's team.

"You and Qrow know what you need to do, Slade" Ironwood nodded to him "I know you can handle this"

Slade nodded in understanding, he exited the room following Qrow and Oscar.

"So, what's the plan?" Oscar asked.

"You and Ruby should keep training, you both desperately need it. Not to mention if you're going to be keeping the relic on you, we should probably be keeping you away from any major fights for awhile. Tyrian isn't going to go easy on you just because you're inexperienced" Slade answered.

"We should split the teams up too" Qrow offered "We'll cover more ground that way"

"Yeah" Slade nodded "The academy is probably the safest place for you and Ruby right now, given the fact that Neo and Tyrian are no doubt after you both and the relic"

"Jaune and I can take the polls here in Atlas, we should put you and Weiss on the polls down in Mantle" Qrow offered.

"Keep Nora and Ren close to the Academy, if Neo or Tyrian make a move on Ruby or Oscar we need someone who can be here immediately. Blake should take my place at the polls in Mantle, the Faunus need a friendly face right now or they won't be as comfortable voting tomorrow night" Slade added.

"Good thinking. Take Yang then and head to the Faunus in Junktown and make sure they aren't planning on starting any riots after what happened. They'll be fed now, and they'll probably be angry after the unprovoked quarantine"

"I know I would be" Oscar agreed.

"Right, for now we should probably just focus on getting some rest. We're gonna want all our energy for tomorrow in case something happens" Qrow replied.

"Sounds like a good plan to me-" Slade started but was interrupted by a voice shouting behind them.

"Guys!" Blake came racing around the corner in a hurry.

"What's wrong?" Qrow asked urgently.

"I don't know" she showed her scroll to them, it read "Your security access has been revoked"

"Revoked?" Slade asked confused, pulling out his own scroll "Mine doesn't say anything like that?"

"Mine either" Oscar added.

"She's a Faunus" Qrow groaned as he read on his scroll that nothing had changed.

"You think something is wrong?" Oscar asked.

"Get everyone together and get down to Mantle! Something is going down right now!" Qrow rushed past them.

"Blake, where is everyone else?" Slade asked.

"Yang went back to the dorms after you went to see Ironwood, everyone else is in the training room" she answered.

"Good, get them. I'll find Yang and we'll meet you down in Mantle" Slade ordered.

"On it!" she rushed past them.

"What about me?" Oscar asked, Slade kneeled down and placed both hands on his shoulders.

"Go back to Ironwood's office, tell him what's going on and stay with him. Protect the relic" Slade answered.

"But I can help!"

"You're the one doing the most important job, Oscar. If this is Salem, someone is going to be coming after the relic. If that happens, stay behind Ironwood and don't risk losing it unless you have to, alright?"

"You got it" he nodded then turned back toward Ironwood's office. Slade rushed off toward the student dorms to find Yang. Slade slid to a stop at the sight of blood staining the floor, he removed Defiance from his holster and followed the blood.

"-Finish what we need?" he heard.

"Looks like it" he entered the room, it appeared to be a security room, looking around the corner he found two dead Atlas soldier's striped of their uniforms. Looking to the left he saw two people sitting in the chairs, accessing the computer.

"Then we should be done already" the thinner one smirked.

"Better up in here than down in Mantle, our boys are gonna have some fun starting chaos before long"

"It's what we're paid to do-" the bulky man noticed Slade aiming Defiance right at them.

"Weapons on the floor now and your hands in the air" they reached for their weapons slowly "Good" he gestured to the wall "Slide them over there" they did as he said "Against the wall" he pointed to the opposite wall from the weapons. They backed up silently. Slade noticed a hard drive in the computer, it wasn't one of Atlas's he moved to grab it with his open hand. The bulky man kicked the chair in front of him at Slade.

Slade stopped the chair with his boot as the other grabbed his arm, wrenching Defiance from his hand, it clattered to the floor. Slade grabbed him by the back of the neck and slammed him into the counter as the other man punched him in the side of his ribs. Slade elbowed him in the chest and used his free hand to deflect the other man's arm as he swung for his face.

The bigger man reached for his gun on the ground, Slade kicked him in the chest, throwing him against the nearby wall. He recovered quickly and swung for Slade, he received a knee to his abdomen for his trouble. Slade grabbed the other man by his arm and forced him to his right, then slammed his knee into his abdomen as he pulled him down toward it with his hands. Slade wrapped his arms around the man's neck from behind, choking him as he turned toward his other assailant as he picked up his gun.

The man in his grip passed out just before Slade tossed him into the other man and grabbed his gun. Slade slammed his knee into his chest once again and then fired the gun into his chest, dropping him onto the ground. Looking down at the other man, he watched him crawling toward the discarded gun. Slade kicked him across the face, flipping him onto his back.

"Who are you? What the hell are you doing here?" Slade growled, pressing Defiance to his chest threateningly.

"My boss would kill me if I told you" he answered shakily.

"And if I told you I'll kill you if you don't?"

"It wouldn't matter, I am already dead anyway"

"Then there's no harm in telling me what you know then right? Do you work for Salem? Is it someone else?"

he laughed "You're not wrong... Salem is footing the bill, but she's not who I work for. My boss-gah!" his right eye snapped to the right and his left to the left, both sparking a single time followed by the sclera of each eye slowly becoming red from the blood flowing to them.

"What the hell?" Slade asked in shock. He checked his pulse to find he was most certainly dead. Slade grabbed the drive out of the computer and called Ironwood.

"Slade? Oscar just got back here in a hurry, what's going on?" he asked irritated.

"Blake's security access has been revoked, General. I think I found the men responsible, they killed two of yours. Qrow thinks something is going on with the Faunus down in Mantle, we're going to investigate but we don't know anything right now. Keep Oscar and the relic safe, it seems this is Salem's handiwork" Slade explained.

"Dammit! Winter!" he called just as he hung up.

Yang burst into the door, Slade pointed Defiance at her before realizing it was her "Yang!"

"I heard a gunshot" she looked at him with clear worry.

"It was me" he nodded toward the bleeding man on the ground "I'm fine" he assured her, she seemed to calm down.

"Good, what's going on?"

"I'll explain on the way, let's go"

* * *

Slade and Yang arrived to find dozens of Faunus all huddled together arguing amongst themselves angrily "That doesn't look good" Yang pointed out.

"No kidding" he called the rest of the group, looping Ironwood in as well "What's going on?"

"Faunus across Mantle and Atlas have had their credentials revoked, they can't get through any checkpoints" Weiss answered.

"I don't know what's going on but the Faunus look like they're gonna riot with Ren and I" Nora reported.

"We're getting the same things here, they look scared" Qrow added.

"What're we gonna do?" Ruby asked concerned.

"Calm them down" Ironwood answered "They're scared, that's going to draw Grimm. Focus on keeping them calm, tell them whatever you have to, just get the situation under control. I have ordered my men to keep the peace, they're not to start confrontation's only end them. Penny is keeping watch for any Grimm"

"How're we supposed to do that?" Yang huffed.

"Gotta start somewhere" Slade sighed approaching the group.

"What're you doing?!" she asked following closely behind him.

"What seems to be the trouble guys?" Slade asked as he approached.

"Get away from us, human!" one yelled.

"Yeah! We didn't do nothing wrong!"

"I am not accusing anyone of anything, I am just trying to figure out what's going on. You see, a friend of mine. Her name is Blake, she's a Faunus like you... she's recently had her credentials all revoked. I was wondering if the same thing was happening here" he explained.

"Like you don't already know!" a female Faunus shouted in anger "You don't actually care!"

"We do!" Yang protested "General Ironwood himself sent us after hearing of what's been going on. He's looking into it and getting everything resolved. Do not worry, the soldiers have all been informed of what's going on" she explained.

"Ironwood sent you? Then he must still care about us!" someone yelled.

"Don't listen to the humans! They're lying!"

"I assure you, we're not lying!" Slade announced over them "What do we have to gain by-" Slade was interrupted by the sound of loud marching behind him. Turning around he found dozens of Atlas soldiers all stopping across from the group, the front line had riot shields and the rest all had rifles along with batons and sidearms.

"What the hell do they think they're doing?" Yang asked "Ironwood said to keep the peace, not scare them" her eyes flashed red.

"This is an illegal gathering, disperse or you will be fired upon!" announced the soldier in charge.

"Woah, woah, woah-" Slade started as the Faunus behind him started to shout and panic "General Ironwood's orders were clear soldier! Lower your weapons!" Slade shouted.

"Rioting will not be accepted, remove yourselves from here or you will be fired upon! We will shoot if you do not comply!" he shouted back. Slade started slowly approaching with his hands up.

"Look! I don't know what you think you're doing, but when Ironwood hears about this I know he is going to-" Slade stopped as the man raised his hand up.

"On my order!" he shouted. Yang noticed something at that moment, some of the soldiers had blood on them.

"Slade-" she shouted.

"Fire!"

"Wait!" Slade held up his hands and stopped every round with his Semblance, struggling to stop them all. The Faunus ran screaming in the opposite direction. Slade dropped the bullets and charged as they reloaded their weapons, Yang followed shortly behind him. Slade's Semblance was keeping him upright, forcing him to move as normal despite the tremendous pain shooting through his body.

Slade kicked in the first shield he came up to with all the force he could muster, pushing him back. The next soldier in his way swung a shock baton at him, he dodged and kicked the man in the chest, throwing him onto his back. Turning just in time to catch another strike in his direction from a shield-bearer, he pulled his arm to the right as Yang slammed her metal fist into his face, knocking him unconscious.

Yang kicked a soldier's shield, pushing him back several steps and turned to catch a shield being swung horizontally for her face. Catching it in her metal hand she smashed it into the soldier's head before using it to block the baton of another. Slade grabbed a shield as Yang did the same to the soldier next to him and they pulled down as hard as they could, removing the shield from their grips.

Slade slammed his fist into his face and he pulled a pistol in response. Slade caught the gun in his hand and wrenched it from his grip, knocking it to the ground. Wrapping his hands around his head, Slade pulled the man to the ground, kicking him in the face afterward as Yang beat the other man down with her fists. A soldier with a rifle aimed at Slade, he grabbed the rifle from under his arm and elbowed him in the chest, then again in the face before wrenching the gun from his grip and breaking it in two. Charging toward another as he fired at him, Slade blocked the rounds and grabbed the gun by the barrel. Twisting the weapon around so it faced the butt toward the soldier, he slammed his fist into his face, and removed the clip from the weapon.

A soldier aimed his handgun at Yang but missed his shot when the clip from the weapon slammed into his neck from Slade throwing it, choking him. Slade turned back toward the man in his grip and smacked him across the face with the weapon. The soldier aimed his weapon at Slade as he regained his breathe and found his wrist snapped back toward him by Slade's quick movement. Slade kicked his left knee out from under him then leapt off his back and slammed his knees into another soldier's shield, knocking him down. Picking up the pistol from the ground he slammed it into the soldier's face twice then launched the shield to his right hitting the other soldier in the face.

Yang seemed to also be making quick work of her foes, beating them with their own batons. Slade smirked, a soldier smashed his baton into Slade's elbow causing him to drop the gun. Slade pushed a second away from him and as the other grabbed his arm. Smashing his fist into his face, he found himself free of the first but trapped by the second with a baton around his neck. Slade elbowed him in the chest trying to get free, then kicked the soldier in front of him in the knee dropping him painfully to the ground as a crack rang out. A third rushed at him with a baton in hand, Slade picked up his legs and slammed them into his chest, knocking the soldier holding him off balance and throwing them both to the ground. Slade elbowed him in his pelvis then slammed his own baton into his face.

Slade received a punch to his face and then a kick from another two soldiers. Picking up the shield from the ground he blocked a baton strike and then a kick from a second, turning he deflected several rounds from a rifleman standing right in front of him. Yang collided with his back, they stood back to back as Slade threw his shield into the man rushing him, knocking him down. Slade caught a baton strike by his wrists then dropped his hold to block another for his abdomen from a separate soldier, Yang kicked the first in the chest from behind her. Slade smacked his baton across the man's face then turned and uppercut the second before turning on a third as Yang kneed the first in the chest. Slade proceeded to knock out the three of them with the baton in hand. A soldier in front of them finished reloading and aimed right for them.

 _Yang!_

Slade pushed Yang out of the way and threw the baton into his face as he dodged the bullets. Slade's Aura flashed red briefly as he rushed the soldier. Slamming his fist into his face, he twisted around and elbowed him wrenching the rifle from his hand and fired into the man's chest. Turning back toward Yang as she picked herself up, he rushed and grabbed a soldier by the arm, throwing him backward with incredible strength and then grabbed the rifle of the man aiming at Yang, slamming it into his face and kicking him in the chest. The man went flying across the street into the wall of the building.

Slade threw the rifle at the next aiming for Yang as she finished getting to her feet, Slade grabbed his pistol and turning it upward at the man as he forced him to his knees with his strength alone and fired the gun into his head. Slade turned and fired a few rounds at the shield bearing soldier in front of him. Slade grabbed the shield and fired the pistol over the top into his head, then turned and fired into the next one's head as well. Slade attempted to fire the pistol in his hand only to find it was empty, he grabbed the soldier closest to him and snapped his neck.

"Fall back! Fall back!" the man in charge yelled as the remaining soldiers standing rushed to get away. Slade removed Defiance from it's holster and fired into their backs killing them as they rushed to escape.

"Slade!" Yang called. Slade continued to fire with a malicious grin on his face "Slade stop!" Yang stepped in front of him. His grin dropped into a look of shock matching hers. She found when she looked at Slade his eyes held a red glimmer to them.

"Yang" he shook his head quickly, his hand coming up to grab it painfully just as his Aura flashed back to it's natural blue "What're you..." he looked around to see all the dead soldiers he had killed "Oh..." he dropped onto his knees, his hand shot down to his abdomen as the pain surged through his body.

"Slade? What the hell was that?" she asked.

"I... I..." he looked up at her, his eyes had returned to normal "I..."

"Yang! Slade!" Ruby's voice called as she and the rest of the group showed up.

"What happened?!" Qrow asked looking at the massacre.

"I happened" Slade answered, his eyes wide with shock at what he had done, he looked down at his hands and found them to be soaked with blood. A bloody handprint now adorned his armor.

"What?" Jaune asked confused.

"What do you mean? You killed these men?" Ren raised his eyebrow questioningly.

Yang lowered herself to her knees, placing her hand onto his shoulder "Slade... what happened?"

"I... I don't know, Yang" Slade answered honestly.

Several officers approached with their guns aiming for the group "Hands up, now!" one of them yelled. The group got in a defensive posture around Slade, all of them incoherently shouting over each other while the officers did the same. Slade coughed into his hand violently, but no one took notice over the shouting.

"Easy!" the captain yelled as he rushed in front of his men "They work for Ironwood!" he turned toward them "I just need him, the rest of you can-" he gestured to Slade, earning a fierce look from Yang, her Aura flaring.

"What!? They attacked us! You can't-"

"Yang..." Slade's soft tone caught her off-guard "It's alright" he stood up, raising his hands over his head "Just let Ironwood know what happened here, make sure it's not happening anywhere else" he handed her the drive from the computer he had taken "Find out what's on here"

"But Slade" she tried as he walked past her, allowing the officers to place him in a bolas.

"What is he doing?" Nora asked surprised.

"He was only defending himself right?" Weiss asked hopefully.

"He protected the Faunus too" Yang answered "Those soldiers would've killed all of us if he didn't stop them"

"Don't worry, kiddo" Qrow hugged her comfortingly "James will figure all this out"

"Winter and Ironwood will know what to do" Weiss added with a comforting smile.

"Let's hope so" Blake's fist closed at her side in anger.

"He will" Ruby placed her hand onto Blake's shoulder "They have to"

* * *

"This is him?" the officer asked the two detectives next to him, pointing to the glass. Behind the glass window sat Slade Stroud, still in full combat gear excluding Defiance, they had allowed him to clean the blood off of him and his armor before dropping him into interrogation "This is the guy who killed our boys?" he was a portly man, he had brown eyes and gray hair as well as a short bushy beard. His nametag said Daggett

"Yes, Sir" answered the male detective. He had short jet black hair and amber eyes along with a scruffy goatee.

"Be careful with him, he's always got something up his sleeve" Daggett warned.

"We always are" the female detective next to him replied before exiting the room and entering interrogation with him. She had a dark complexion, bright long red hair and teal eyes.

"Hello, Mr. Stroud. I'm detective-"

"Detectives Lancaster and Dominguez" Slade finished gesturing between him and then her in a bored tone.

"You know us?" she asked surprised.

"How?" he glared.

"It says so on your ID" Slade pointed at their ID tags attached to their belts.

"Well, Mr. Stroud. You have quite the extensive record" Dominguez dropped a large file and a slightly smaller file down onto the table both labeled with his name.

"Wow... you really did your homework huh?" Slade asked unimpressed.

"Aspiring Huntsman turned Bounty Hunter after you flunked out of Beacon" Lancaster taunted.

"Clearly you haven't done very good with your homework then" Slade chuckled.

"Your academic records from Beacon show that you were slated for graduation when you quit" Dominguez corrected.

"Good, at least one of you knows how to do your job" Slade leaned back into his chair "Is this really necessary?" he asked gesturing to the bolas trapping him to the table.

"Sorry, standard procedure" she answered.

"Lovely"

"Says here..." Lancaster opened the large file "You were a member of the immensely famous Stroud family, a family of well known Huntsmen and Huntresses dating back as far as we can tell... but then your brother died in a horrible accident followed shortly by both of your parents and your sister... all three of these accidents you were present for" Lancaster listed off.

Slade grunted in annoyance "Really did your research did you?" he asked reeling in his anger.

"You were accepted into Beacon Academy two years early and placed in charge of Team SHDW before the other three members of your team were brutally killed on mission and you left Beacon to become a Bounty Hunter working closely with Roman Torchwick over the course of the next year until Mr. Torchwick was killed during the Fall of Beacon. You did jobs all across Remnant, Mistral and Vale, then Vacuo and finally Atlas. You've led quite a distinguished career of losing just about everyone you care for didn't you?" he asked.

Slade remained silent, waiting for him to move on before he got very upset.

"You even worked here in the city and apprehended councilwoman McLaren or "The Dragon" as she was well known as among the criminals, then disappeared for awhile. Likely because you destroyed and murdered several innocent people along the way-"

"Never killed anyone innocent, anyone I personally killed was a criminal. Not to mention the fact that I was personally hired by General Ironwood for the express reason of arresting The Dragon, thank you very much. But I do very much appreciate that trip down memory lane" Slade growled.

"Why didn't Ironwood say so himself when questioned about the situation?" Dominguez asked curiously.

"Likely because he had a lot on his mind after somebody hacked his toy soldiers in Vale and the Grimm took over the kingdom" Slade answered "Until a couple of days ago he still wanted me to keep our connection a secret so he could oust the rest of the criminals that worked for her so unless you have something you could actually pin onto me right now, then I suggest you get to the point"

"Even if we can't pin anything else on you, we have footage of you killing several Atlas security officers no more than an hour ago in the streets"

"Have you been able to ID any of those men?" Slade asked, they remained silent "Hmm? Oh no? I take it you haven't... unless you have and you just don't want me to know, or are we not going to bring up the fact they attempted to gun down unarmed Faunus in the streets, and would have if I hadn't stopped them"

"Listen, kid-"

"No, Detective. Listen to me" he stood up, his eyes Aura flashing red for the briefest of moments before returning to blue "If you think you have any chance to have any one of your district attorneys make sense of what just happened and put me in the wrong then we have something to talk about. If not, then you have nothing to hold me on and I am free to go, you both know I could break out of here with no issue if I desired a fight"

"You're absolutely begging to be arrested you know that?" Dominguez asked crossing her arms as Lancaster seemed to be struggling to maintain his composure.

"If either of you actually had the balls to do it, but you won't" Slade smirked "You don't have anything, or we wouldn't be talking right now. You don't interrogate someone you already can pin, sorry, detectives... but this isn't my first time in an interrogation room"

"I promise you, kid. I can keep this up a lot longer than you can maintain that phony arrogance you have. The minute that you-"

"You don't know who they are do you?" Slade asked by the other detective's uncomfortable silence "Those men that attacked me, were they actually Atlas soldiers?"

The two detectives remained silent to his question.

Slade sighed "Detectives I know you believe you're just doing your jobs, but I know things that would give you nightmares. I have seen things worse than your wildest dreams and I have lost more than any one person should be forced to lose, I promise you nothing is normal about what's going on here and I am on your side. General Ironwood wouldn't have asked for my help if he didn't absolutely need it. You're walking into some screwed up-" the door swung open.

"Stop talking, Slade" Ironwood entered.

"General Ironwood!" the two detectives stood at attention.

"This is over, detectives" he glared at them.

"Sir, we cannot just let him go-"

"You will be, because he works for me" he answered.

"Bounty Hunter's aren't exempt from the law, General. It doesn't matter if you've hired him or not-" Ironwood threw an ID card onto the table.

"He's no Bounty Hunter" they looked at the card to find it was a genuine Huntsman's license.

"Shit!" Lancaster shouted as he stormed out of the room.

"Huntsman may not be above the law, but so long as they're following my orders I am the one responsible for their actions. Despite this, Slade hasn't actually done anything illegal within the purview of a Huntsman. Slade protected himself, his fellow Huntress Yang Xiao Long and multiple innocent civilians being fired upon by the soldiers"

"They were still our men-" Dominguez tried to argue.

"Come now, detective. You and I both know that's not true. My men were found dead not more than two blocks away and the dead soldiers in the streets were known criminals" he narrowed his eyes lightly "So again, you will be letting Mr. Stroud go" he turned to Slade to find him looking at the ID in shock.

"Huntsman!" Ironwood called grabbing his attention "Let's move" Slade nodded and removed himself from the bolas without using his Semblance, like it wasn't even on him in the first place.

"How did you do that?"

"Told you" he picked up his ID "Wasn't my first time in interrogation" he winked before following Ironwood out of the room.

"Glad to see you weren't breaking under pressure" Ironwood smirked handing him back Defiance.

"You know I wouldn't say anything they didn't need to know" he replied holstering his weapon.

"Indeed"

"You've gotta be kidding me with this" Slade held up his license "You made me a fake ID just to get me out of this" Ironwood pushed the front door open.

"It isn't fake" Ironwood answered.

"Slade!" Yang slammed into him, pulling him into an unexpected hug.

"Woah!" he tipped backward slightly but managed to maintain his balance.

"Are you alright? They didn't try and-"

"Yang!" Qrow called grabbing her attention "Give the guy some space, he's fine" he chuckled.

"Oh, right" she cleared her throat as she released him "Sorry"

"It's fine" he looked to Ironwood "what do you mean it isn't fake?"

Ruby's eyes lit up "He made us all Huntresses!" she showed off her license.

Slade's eyes narrowed at Ironwood "You did what?"

"I think they earned it" he shrugged.

"That's all well and good, General. But I am not a Huntsman" he growled.

"You are now, and you've been acting like one long enough. Start owning it" he smiled at him "Now, we have more important things to talk about"

"Such as?"

"What exactly happened back in Mantle?" Jaune asked concerned.

Slade sighed "It's gonna be a long night"

"Let's wait until we're back at the Academy" Qrow suggested "We have enough people trying to spy on us without us talking about this in public"

"Good idea" Blake agreed.

"How's Oscar?" Slade asked.

"He's fine, nothing happened beyond your situation down in Mantle"

"Thankfully" Ren agreed.

"I would've killed anyone who tried anything on our cute boy Oscar!" Nora slammed her fists together.

"Let's go" Ironwood motioned for the others to follow him into his airship.

* * *

Ironwood stood in front of the group with his hands clasped together behind his back "Make yourselves comfortable" he gestured to the empty tables in the cafeteria with food items spread across them "You all must be hungry after such a long day"

Nora excitedly leapt onto the seat and started digging in earning a warm smile from Ironwood, the rest of her friends followed suit and started eating as well. Qrow and Slade remained standing with Winter and Ironwood. Slade seemed to be stuck in his bad mood, despite the grumbling of his stomach. Ironwood sighed "Come on, Slade. Relax" he sat down across from Ruby and started filling a plate as well "None of us have had dinner yet, we're going to have to talk about it eventually. Why not enjoy yourself for a moment before-"

"Nothing crazy happened in Mantle" Slade answered "I saw Yang was in danger and just stopped caring about sparing the soldiers, that's it"

"Then why did you react the way that you did?" Winter asked having joined Ironwood.

"You did seem a bit distraught" Yang added trying to help. Slade looked to her with a slight amount of regret and sighed, finally sitting down beside her.

"Okay..." he looked for a place to start "I don't know what happened... the stress of the situation has been getting to me. I've been putting on a brave face the whole time, but in all honesty... I'm terrified" he explained. Yang frowned, she placed her hand onto his shoulder.

"You don't have to do that, Slade. You can talk to us. We're here for you"

"Yeah, you don't need to hide anything from us" Ruby agreed.

"It's not like we're gonna judge you for being just as scared as the rest of us" Blake added.

"I'm sorry" Slade shook his head "This is a big day for you all, we should be celebrating!" he smiled brightly "I promise I will be more open with you guys from now on"

"Good" Weiss nodded "It doesn't have to be all of us, Slade. But you should talk to someone when things are weighing on you"

"Yeah" Jaune agreed "My sister was always there for me when I needed to talk about things" he smiled.

Slade thought back to her words in Argus "Y'know, she told me the same thing" he smiled "I did have a nice talk with her too. She's a good listener, and she has good advice"

"Slade's right, we should take the time to celebrate receiving our Licenses" Ren smiled lightly "It is after all what we all wanted when we went to Beacon"

"What made you decide to make them all Huntsmen?" Oscar asked curiously.

"You all made that decision for me" Ironwood answered with a smile full of pride "All of you in here today have fought for your friends, your families, your school, and your kingdom during the Fall of Beacon, bravely and with honor. You fought for the innocent, what was right and just at Haven, and beyond that you even did the same again when it came to Argus. You've all been burdened by a truth so unfathomable that many have gone insane or given into despair merely by it's discovery, yet you all chose to press on. You chose to face this nightmare and the abominations yet to be seen despite it all. That doesn't sound like the actions of children, or students, or criminals" he looked to Slade "To me, that sounds like the heroism told of in all the greatest tales of Huntsmen and Huntresses" he held up his mug over his head "You've all earned it" he lowered his mug down to chest level "I know these have come a bit ahead of schedule from what you may have expected, but I believe your actions speak for themselves. I only regret that I cannot do anything more official for you"

"You all more than deserve it" Winter agreed.

"With Salem still out there and the tensions in the kingdom skyrocketing like they have been, I am going to be needing you all now more than ever. I figured it's the least I could do to make it official for you, you've all been doing the job long enough. This is a big moment for you all, take the rest of the night off and celebrate. Tomorrow is going to be a busy day, and Salem isn't going to be pulling any punches from here on out-"

Penny came bursting in the door "Did I miss it!?" she asked hopefully.

"No, Penny. I'd say you're right on time" Winter laughed.

"Oh, good" she took a seat next to Weiss and smiled brightly at the group.

"Well" Ironwood stood up with his plate in hand "I think that's about all the speechmaking I have in me for one day. Please, enjoy your night" he walked toward the door before he noticed Winter getting up "Stay, Winter" he smiled "Your sister isn't going to be getting her license twice"

"Thank you, Sir" she smiled back at him, returning to her seat.

"After everything we've been through, I almost forgot this is what we all wanted" Blake smiled.

"When Beacon fell, I didn't think this was going to be possible anymore" Yang agreed.

"among all the other things that've happened over the past few months, this certainly seems almost..." Ren started.

"Trivial?" Weiss asked.

"Geez, guys. Lighten up a little, you've earned a bit of time to enjoy yourselves" Qrow laughed.

"Yeah" Jaune smiled proudly "Just wait until Saph hears about this!"

"I'm gonna destroy you!" Nora shouted pointing at the large cooked bird on the table, earning a laugh from the group as she started digging into it.

As the celebration went on the group moved from table to table doing different activities from arm wrestling between Nora and Yang, to Weiss and Winter taking pictures together. Oscar, Penny and Ruby were trying to see who could balance more food on their heads than the other. Blake, Jaune and Ren watched and cheered for their friends arm wrestling. Slade stood away from the rest of the group, his flask in hand.

Slade moved toward the nearby wall, lowering himself painfully to the ground, he took a swig from his flask. Placing it down onto the ground, he removed a cigar from his coat and placed it into his mouth, flipping open the zippo lighter Roman gave him, he lit the cigar in his mouth, inhaling deeply. Placing the lighter away, he coughed violently once more, with a shake of his head, he put it out with his free hand and tossed the cigar away into a nearby trashcan.

"Rough day for you, huh?" Qrow asked as he approached, slumping against the wall next to him. Slade quickly placed his flask into his pocket.

"There's been a lot to take in today" he answered.

"Which part? Finally getting your license, the getting arrested and then un-arrested or the not quite telling everyone what's going on with you part?" Qrow asked with a knowing look.

"When you put it that way, it sounds like an average day" Slade answered with a shrug. He sighed "How did you know?"

"When you lied to us about it being stress" Qrow smirked "I've known you long enough to know when you're lying kid. What's with being upset about the license?"

Slade softly laughed "I guess I feel like I didn't really earn it, I left Oz when he needed me the most. Sure I did some good while I was gone and made friends with Neo and Roman... but still, I betrayed his trust"

"He betrayed ours when he left the whole truth from us"

"How am I any different?" Slade asked "I look them right in the eye and lie to them because I am afraid of what they might think if they knew. I tried telling everyone about stuff that was going on with me before Qrow, and it didn't help" he angrily punched the floor "...Ow"

"Slade..." he sighed "I can't tell you honestly if what you're doing is any different, but I know you better than you think. I know you wouldn't keep it to yourself just because you were scared of what people might think of you, if you're keeping it to yourself it's because you're scared telling people will make them push you away, because you want to be there for them when they need it. Oz didn't trust people with the truth because he was scared of what they might do with it... I think there's a pretty big difference but hey, what do I know right?"

"I hope you're right" he removed his license and looked at it with a frown "This says I am a Huntsman now, but I don't feel like I earned it at all"

"You've more than earned it, kid. No one else in this room, myself included has done more to try and help people just because it was the right thing than you have. Despite trying to play it off as part of your job as a Bounty Hunter" he laughed "Your family, your team... they'd be proud of you, Slade"

"I'm sorry for not telling you sooner, Qrow... but I am scared" he said honestly.

"What is it that's scaring you so much?" Qrow asked concerned.

"I care about them Qrow" he looked over to the group "That's something I have been trying not to do for a long time, because I know what always happens to people I care about" he sighed "When I was in Mantle... when Yang looked like she was in trouble... I felt something"

"I'm not having that talk with you kid" Qrow laughed "When a girl and a boy like each other very much-" he laughed loudly as Slade punched him in the arm.

"No, you ass" Slade groaned with a roll of his eyes "My Aura, it felt... darker... almost like..."

"Salem" Qrow finished for him, his tone turned serious.

"I'm worried she had control" Slade looked to Qrow with clear concern written on his face "I can't remember anything between knocking Yang out of the way and when she stopped me from shooting those men as they ran away"

"That just sounds like you blacked out to me. Everyone has done that in a fight once or twice, it happens" Qrow sighed "But, if you're really that worried about it. I think you should talk about this to Ironwood. Oz may not have been able to help you, but James has access to some of the best technology in the world. If anyone could do it, he could"

"And the others?" Slade asked.

"I would keep it between us for now, Slade. There's no telling how the others will react, I remember just how paranoid I was when I first found out about Salem messing around with you" he sighed "I trust you enough to know you'd tell me if you think you can't manage it, but the others... I don't want to chance anything just yet. Let's see what Ironwood says first and go from there"

"Alright, I am gonna trust you on this. If I start losing it, I need you to do what's necessary"

"You've got it, kid. We can focus on all of this later. For now you should head over there and have some fun" he smiled "I know a certain blonde niece of mine who really enjoys your company" he winked, elbowing him in the shoulder.

"Alright, alright" he laughed "I'll go, as long as you join me, old man"

"Well with an argument like that, how could I refuse?"

* * *

"Do you have a comment about the recent violence that took place in Mantle earlier today Mr. Schnee?" the reporter asked.

"Do I have a comment?" Jacques asked feigning surprise "I have several!" he turned to the camera "General Ironwood keeps telling us to trust him and he will make Atlas strong, but I haven't seen strength demonstrated in the past few months" he looked deeply saddened "First our Knights are hacked during the Fall of Beacon, then the embargo and the poor Faunus being quarantined to Junktown like animals? Now our own soldiers are trying to kill innocents in the streets and Faunus are having their credentials taken away from them as if they haven't suffered enough from the brutality of groups like the White Fang? All I am truly seeing is that General Ironwood cannot do his job to keep us all safe!"

"What do you think would be the answer to that, Mr. Schnee?"

"I think stronger leadership is in order. I think that the Atlas security council has had a vacant fifth seat for far too long, and I think the people of Atlas and Mantle all know that they need someone who is going to look out for them. I implore everyone listening right now to go to the polls tomorrow night and make sure you vote for the right candidate"

Slade leaned against the edge of the doorway leading to the balcony of the room he was staying in, switching the TV off with the remote in his right hand. He had a large bottle of alcohol in hand, taking a swig he found it to be empty. He reached down into the pile behind him and grabbed the last full bottle and popped it open.

"Slade?" Yang's voice called as she entered the open door "Hey, Ruby is going to be heading into town with the others-" she stopped when she noticed the large amount of empty bottles at his feet, he tossed the remote onto the nearby bed "Are you drunk?" she asked surprised "I thought you and Qrow had... stopped"

Slade looked over to her "Don't mention this to him" he looked ashamed as he took anther swig "I've been trying to keep my drinking out of sight from him. Don't want him starting back up again"

"You've been hiding your drinking from Qrow to... support him?" she asked stepping closer.

"He's been drinking heavily since I have known him, it would be good for him to stop"

"Yet you continue?"

"I have my reasons"

"Yeah, I am sure we all do"

"Yang, that's now what I-" he stopped with a sigh "It's not the loss I feel everyday that's been making me drink, I actually stopped mostly after I cut ties with Roman"

"What made you start up again?" she asked leaning against the opposite side of the door from him.

"Aside from Roman's death?" Slade asked with a rueful chuckle "Salem being stuck in my head doesn't help, being drunk keeps her away for the most part... but there's something else too"

"What is it?" she asked curiously.

"It's not something I want to talk about right now"

"Slade-"

"I know, Yang, I know" he sighed "I will tell you, I promise" he smiled up at her "I just need some time first... I don't even really know what it is yet?"

"What does that mean?"

"It means I am letting the alcohol do the talking by saying even that much" he shook his head "You ever wonder how different life would be if you did one thing differently?"

"Of course" Yang smiled "I think all the time what life would be like if Mom hadn't left, if Summer hadn't died... if I hadn't lost my arm... what Pyrrha would be doing right now if she didn't die that night"

"Yeah" Slade sighed "I thought I would think about if my parents were still around, or my brother, my sister, even my teammates and Roman... but there's only one thing that I really think about all the time, wondering how things would've turned out if I had played it different"

"What is it?"

"I think about when I left Beacon" he smirked "With how much of a fuss I kicked up about getting my license today that must sound pretty stupid"

"No, I think it makes perfect sense" she smiled warmly at him.

Slade smiled back at her "You wanna know the reason I regret leaving the most?" he asked.

"Ozpin?" she asked.

"No... Qrow" he answered "If I had stuck around Qrow would've taken me around to meet his nieces he couldn't ever stop talking about. He was always so proud of you two... and that means I would've met you sooner" he looked up at her, the sincerity in his voice surprised her "I think meeting you is probably the best thing that has happened to me so far" he laughed "Got me out of my drunken stupor and forced me to actually start being... well... me again" he put the bottle down and took her hands in his "Thank you, for thinking I was worth the effort"

Yang fought back a tear for a moment before composing herself "Yeah, anytime. Of course" she lost herself in his gaze momentarily.

"Hey" Qrow called from the doorway. Slade used his Semblance to hide the bottles from him, throwing the blanket from the nearby bed over them. Qrow didn't seem to notice.

"Qrow" he greeted.

 _That was fast!_ Yang thought looking at the absent bottles surprised.

"Oh..." Qrow noticed their closeness as they shifted apart "I didn't mean to interrupt" he looked at Yang apologetically "Pipsqueak is getting impatient and wanted to know if you two were coming"

Slade smirked at Yang "Go ahead, I'll catch up" she smiled back at him.

"You'd better!" she walked out past Qrow, who watched Slade with a smirk on his face.

"You two seem to be getting close"

"It's nothing, Qrow" Slade laughed as he walked toward him "I need to ask you for a favor though" he whispered in his ear. Qrow listened intently and then looked surprised.

"Oh..." he quickly handed Slade his old scroll from the drawer next to his bed "That's good, Slade" he chuckled "See you in town" he winked and then followed after Yang.

 _Now I am going to have to clean all this up_ Slade thought grabbing the bottles from beneath the blanket, he tossed them into a trashcan in the hallway, watching as the group left the corridor _Really hope he didn't notice_ Slade tapped on the screen a few times and then pressed the device to his ear.

"Qrow?" Taiyang's voice asked surprised "I wasn't expecting you to call-"

"It's not Qrow, sorry to disappoint"

"You sound just as drunk" Taiyang chuckled "Who am I speaking to? One of Ruby's friends?"

"Qrow's actually been very good since we left Argus. He's been sober since then"

"That doesn't sound like Qrow at all" Taiyang said but was clearly happy "That doesn't answer my question though"

"We've met before, Mr. Xiao Long. My name is Slade" he was met with silence.

"What the hell are you doing with Qrow's scroll? Is he alright?"

"He's fine, Sir, I assure you. Both your daughters are too" he answered quickly before he could ask "I know when we last met it wasn't really under the best circumstances, but suffice to say I was working under cover for Ironwood and needed to maintain it and now I am working with Ruby" he explained.

"Surely you didn't call me just to clear the air with me. What is it?"

"I need a favor" the line went silent once again.

"Go on"

* * *

Dr. Polendina sat in his office, sleeping in the chair, clearly exhausted from the work he has been doing. A knock at the door jarred him awake "Mrg! Come in!" he said before fully composing himself. Slade entered the room alone and turned toward him "Doctor"

"Mr. Stroud, what can I-?" he started but Slade held up a hand for him to stop.

"I don't want anyone hearing about this yet, but I believe I can trust you. I need your help with two very important things" the door closed behind him as he entered locking the door behind him.

"What can I help you-" Slade fell onto the table in pain, struggling to keep himself upright "Mr. Stroud!"

"I need help, Dr." he groaned as he limped his way around the desk onto the table Oscar laid on when he was searching for Ozpin "I don't know what the hell is wrong with me"

"What seems to be the issue?" he asked quickly getting his equipment ready.

"I've been having issues for a little while now, I can't say exactly when it started... but every time I use my Semblance, I have an intense pain in my abdomen like a gunshot or a stab wound" he answered.

"Well let's take a look" he got his machines ready and started looking "You said there was two things you needed help with, are they related?"

"No" he handed him Qrow's scroll with a photo on it "Can you do it?" he asked.

Doctor Polendina looked at the scroll briefly and laughed "Can I? I could do this in my sleep" he took the device and placed it onto his desk "As important as that is I imagine we should figure this out first. How were you keeping yourself upright until you came in?"

"My Semblance of course" Slade chuckled "Ironic that the problem has been the solution huh? Also a lot of alcohol"

"How much alcohol?"

"At least a dozen bottles or so"

"A day?" Polendina asked surprised.

"Let's go with that" Slade answered with a groan.

"Well..." he placed his scanner down as he found the problem "I can see why... what is your Semblance again, son?"

"Matter manipulation" Slade answered "I can move things with my mind" he laughed "I can also separate molecules to allow weapons to pass through me or me to pass through walls" he continued "I don't honestly know if there's more to it or not but it's only been a couple of years since I unlocked it"

"How did you unlock your Semblance?"

"That's gonna take longer to explain than I would like" he groaned "Suffice to say my sister died and I used my Semblance for the first time in a blind rage and killed everyone responsible"

"Ah... not a happy experience then" he sighed "Well I can clearly-" he stopped "No... it can't be..." he breathed out barely above a whisper.

"Doctor?" Slade asked, nervous.

Polendina looked at Slade in complete shock "That's not possible...I thought... but could it?" he wondered aloud, whispering to himself.

"Doctor!" Slade snapped him out of his trance.

"Hm? Ah, yes! Your problem!" he sighed deeply "Well it is quite clear what is causing the problem, but I am not sure if it is something we can fix"

"What do you mean?" _He was acting rather strange for a moment there, I wonder why_

"There appears to be two very deep incisions in your abdomen that haven't fully healed and don't appear to be healing at all" he ran his hand through his hair "Honestly, Mr. Stroud... it looks like your Semblance is the problem. Every time you use it to split around something and then put yourself back together, you seem to be forcing it back together the same way. Because of that your body has come to recognize those two incisions as normal. I can help dull the pain but I am not sure I can do much else at this point. There's nothing I can do to force your body to heal something on it's own without consulting Ironwood about this"

"So you can't do anything for me?" Slade asked.

"Unfortunately, I am a doctor not a magician" he crossed his arms "I can give you something for the pain but if you keep using your Semblance you're going to keep agitating the incisions. They look to be made by a long blade, any idea what could've caused them?"

"Likely Adam Taurus stabbing me in the back... twice... literally" he sighed.

"Well, unfortunately unless I can figure something out I don't know how to help you, son. I will focus my spare time onto this as much as I-"

"No, focus on that first" he pointed to the scroll.

"You want me to... but I can't ignore a patient in need for-"

"Doctor, I am asking you to do this first. I can deal with some time without using my Semblance. I will only use it during emergencies"

"Good" he handed him a bottle of pills "I will send some more to your room so you have plenty to work with. I am sorry I cannot do anything more for you right now"

"I am sure you'll figure something out, Dr." he popped two of the pills in his mouth.

"Just be careful, Slade. Alcohol will cause you to have uncontrollable shaking throughout your body if you take them with it. You probably won't notice it right away but I assure you-"

"I get it, Doc. No Semblance and no alcohol" he laughed "I think I can manage" he forced himself off the table "Keep up the good work, Dr." Slade started to leave but stopped "Keep this to yourself would you? For now?" he asked.

"Of course"

"That means no Ironwood"

"I wouldn't dare"

"Good" Slade exited.

Doctor Polendina stared back at the scanner results in shock "I can't believe it... it's really him... if the General knew... no... he can never know. No one can"

* * *

Slade entered the club he knew his friends had gone to, looking around he caught Qrow staying as far away from the bar as possible. Looking around more, he found Blake and Nora dancing with a reluctant Ren while an unamused Weiss watched them. Ruby, Oscar and Jaune stood off to the side with Qrow chatting amongst themselves. Looking to the bar he found Yang leaning against the counter with an unconscious man slumped against the bar next to her.

"Do I even want to know?" Slade asked gesturing to the man as he approached.

"Oh this?" Yang asked "Just someone who had a headbutting contest with the bar... the bar won" she shrugged.

"In other words he tried flirting with you" Slade smirked.

"More or less" she shrugged.

"You!" someone shouted pushing Slade, he turned to look at the man "I know you, you all work for Ironwood! He's been doing nothing but keeping us all trapped because of this stupid lockdown and you get to just walk around and do whatever you want? It aint fair!" he had several men gathering behind him.

"Look, buddy. I'm a Huntsman, I fight Grimm and criminals for a living. If you did too, you'd have more availability to different areas too. Now, can I have a drink in peace?"

"What, you think you're better than me?" he pushed Slade again.

"I'll warn you, if you start this I will finish it... and it will hurt"

"Yeah? You and what army?"

"Do I look like I need an army? I have Yang" he smirked.

"Who?"

Yang turned to face him, she rolled her shoulders smacking her fists together threateningly "What do you think you're doing bud?"

The man smirked, looking back at his friends "I think he thinks we're scared of em!" he twisted back toward Slade and punched for his face. Slade ducked, grabbed his legs and flipped him up and over the bar.

"Hey! Not in my bar!"

Slade turned and used his forearm to block another strike for his face from the next man and slammed his fist into his face, knocking him backward. Another man used a bottle to attack Slade, Yang caught his arm and slammed her head into his knocking him down. Slade twisted around and slammed his heel into another man's chest, throwing him back into a nearby table.

Yang was pushed against the bar as a man attempted to tackle her, she stood her ground and slammed her elbow into his collar bone. Slade dodged a knife and broke the man's arm with one fluid motion, causing him to drop the blade. Lifting him by his arm, he slammed him into the bar and then smashed a bottle into his face. Yang lifted a man by his back and slammed him down onto the bar, then threw him across the side.

Slade was tackled by a drunken man angry about his spilt drink. Yang grabbed him by the back of the neck and threw him backward off of Slade, she extended her hand out to help him up "Thanks" he smirked, accepting her offer.

"Can we ever go anywhere without getting into a fight?" she laughed.

"What can I say?" Slade shrugged "I just have that effect on people"

Yang laughed "Well don't worry, I've got you covered"

"That you do" she smacked her fist into his shoulder playfully.

"What're you doing over by the bar, huh?" Yang quirked her eyebrow, a playful smile on her face "Don't think you've had enough to drink today?"

"One more wouldn't hurt right?" he winked back at her.

"We should probably leave before the bouncers come over, shouldn't we?" Yang laughed out.

"I concur" the pair started walking toward the dance floor, making their way around the edge as to not get involved with the crowd "You know, I am honestly surprised they haven't done anything already" Slade looked to the bouncers at each end of the bar.

"It's not like they weren't close enough" Yang agreed "Probably just didn't want to mix it up with a Huntsman and a Huntress" she shrugged pointing between the two of them.

"You're probably right" the two of them remained in awkward silence for a few minutes, neither of them knowing what to talk about.

"You... you wanna dance?" Yang asked hopefully.

"Me? dance?" Slade asked cocking his eyebrow "I'm... I don't... I haven't ever really-" he stuttered out.

"You've never danced before?" Yang asked with an amused tone.

"I've... danced" he crossed his arms over his chest "I just haven't danced... recently"

"How recently?"

"Well..." he looked away, clearing his throat in embarrassment "Okay, so I haven't danced before. Sue me. I focused on more important things while attending Beacon I guess"

"Did you ever go to the school dances at Beacon?" Yang asked.

"My team never would've allowed me not to" Slade laughed "Doesn't mean I actually danced. I mostly stuck to the corners away from all the bubbly people"

"Aw" she grabbed his cheek with her metal arm, speaking in a baby voice "You're just sociawy awkward"

Slade waved her off "Yeah, well so is your sister and your Uncle"

"Oh definitely" she giggled "Come on, it won't be that bad" she grabbed him by the arm and yanked him along with her onto the dance floor.

"Yang, wait! What are you doing?!"

Qrow watches with a smirk on his face as Slade unsuccessfully struggles against Yang's grip as she leads him onto the dance floor by Nora, Blake and Ren before letting go.

"You think he's ever going to figure out she likes him on his own?" Jaune asked leaning over toward Ruby.

"Probably the same odds on Yang figuring out he likes her" she replied with a small laugh.

"Has anyone ever thought about maybe, telling them?" Oscar asked. Ruby and Jaune turned to look at him like a second head had grown from his shoulder.

"Where would be the fun in that?" they asked simultaneously.

"My bad" Oscar held his hands up in surrender with a laugh.

"What is he doing?" Qrow struggled to contain his laughter at the sight of Slade trying to dance.

"Oh no" Ruby laughed covering her mouth with her hand as she did.

"What is he doing with his legs?" Jaune asked.

"And his arms?" Oscar added.

Yang and Nora were roaring with laughter by this point, while Blake was struggling to hide her own as she helped Ren try and settle them down. Slade stopped and crossed his arms indignantly like a child but had a light smile playing on his lips all the same.

"That's one thing he's definitely not good at" Qrow pressed his hand against the wall to keep himself upright from the amount of laughter erupting from him, shortly joined by Ruby.

"Just think how bad these two would be if they had actually been drinking" Jaune referred to Ruby and Qrow with a shake of his head.

"He's not going to be living this down anytime soon" Oscar chuckled.

* * *

 **That's everything for now guys! Next chapter might be out sooner than expected considering my work is closed for the next two weeks, so keep your eyes peeled. Thanks for reading.**


	26. Breach

**Hey guys! This took me longer than I would've liked, I ended up spending a lot of April in the hospital with my sister (She didn't have Covid) and several power outages this week stopped me from uploading this yesterday. Hope you guys like it, I wont be able to update as often as I would like as I just started a new job this week, but hopefully it won't be too long! Anyway, enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing!**

"Speech"

 _Thoughts_

* * *

 **Chapter Twenty-Six: Breach**

"Do we have positive ID on the men who attacked us yesterday?" Ironwood asked looking to Winter.

"No, Sir" she answered "It's like their records have been completely erased"

"I thought you said they were known criminals" Slade pointed out.

"I told the detectives that so they would stop harassing you over something you obviously shouldn't be detained over" Ironwood sighed "Their fingerprints don't match anything in our systems and we cannot ID them from their faces either. It's like someone deleted them from our database, without access to the other kingdoms databases I can't do anything to confirm their identities" he smashed his fist into the desk angrily "She's making us look like fools!" he stood from his place and started pacing back and forth.

Ruby and her friends looked concerned, between each other. Qrow looked to Slade, shaking his head he mouthed "Not now"

"Perhaps we could do something to help lure out our hacker" Penny suggested "I've been monitoring all access to our system ever since the quarantine order was discovered" she explained.

"Was there any type of data purge?" Winter asked hopeful.

"There was!" she answered cheerfully.

"And?" Ironwood raised his eyebrow questioningly.

"I cannot access the information!" she answered never dropping her cheerful tone.

"Wonderful" Qrow groaned.

"Can you see who accessed the database prior to the data purge? Anyone with the clearance to do it?" Oscar asked.

"Unfortunately that data has been deleted" Penny said disappointed "But if we could give the hacker something he wants to find as bait, then we might be able to lure him out long enough to catch him in the act" she suggested.

"What about telling people the truth about what's going on in Mantle? About the hacker and what he's done to-" Blake suggested.

"Telling people someone behind the destruction of Beacon is here in Atlas is going to cause a panic" Winter replied.

"People are already panicking" Weiss pointed out.

"I understand people are scared right now because of everything that is going on, but we simply cannot put all of our cards on the table right now" Ironwood explained sitting back into his chair.

"That's easy for you to say!" Nora shouted angrily "You're not the one starving down there or being shot at to cause a panic! People aren't just scared, they're suffering done there!"

"I know" Ironwood sighed.

"If we could just-" Jaune started to agree.

"That's enough" Winter cut him off "We're doing the best that we can right now"

"It's not enough! If we just told people what was going on-" Yang yelled.

"WE CANT!" Ironwood slammed his hands down onto the desk and abruptly stood, leaving a hand print on the desk from his metal hand "If we tell everyone we know about the hacking then we'll have tipped our hand and Salem will know we're onto her! Right now she only thinks we know about Tyrian and Neo if she even works for her! We can't leave ourselves exposed now of all times! There's too much at stake!"

"Ozpin has always been the one to keep secrets General Ironwood" Ruby stepped ahead of the group "We shouldn't make his mistake" she implored.

Ironwood sighed "You have all been open with me and I have in turn done the same for you. I know you didn't have to tell me about what Jinn told you or even that there's still one question left... but you did. I appreciate the trust you have shown me" he looked up at Penny "What do you think?"

"I follow your orders, General" she answered.

"I meant personally, unofficially"

Penny took a moment before answering "Sir, I think that if someone is hacking our system so easily that it is someone we already know" she looked toward Ruby "I agree with them, we should tell people what's going on. The hacker is already going to know about us being onto him because we discovered the hack to begin with"

"What makes you say that?"

"Father is part of your inner circle, he knows about the Relics, Salem, the Maidens... I think the person responsible is someone who knows but we didn't tell, likely someone very good at lying"

Ironwood looked to the group in front of him and smiled lightly "It's a good thing I have you all here" he stood from his desk "I will call for a meeting with the Council and inform them of what's going on. If it is one of them, they might slip up and give me something to work with. I won't tell them everything, Salem is still a secret we shouldn't spread around just yet, but the hacking must be brought to light. They'll make an announcement about it so people know I am not abandoning them" a knock at the door surprised the group "Oscar" Oscar nodded and hid the relic behind his coat "Come in"

Dr. Watts entered "General" he nodded to the others "I have found something"

"Truly" Ironwood walked around to the front of his desk.

"Yes, General" he handed him a stack of files "It took me longer than I would've liked but with all the digital files having been deleted, I found paper copies of the men posing as our soldiers down in Mantle. I believe I know where they're hiding out in the city"

"Excellent work, Arthur" he smiled "I know just who to send" he smiled to the group. Slade began to look worried, looking over to Qrow he received a stern look.

"Something wrong?" Yang asked.

"It's nothing" Qrow answered quickly.

"Good" Ironwood smiled "I want one of you to go to this possible hideout and see what you can find, don't kill anyone if you can-"

"General" Slade stepped forward.

"Slade!" Qrow tried to stop him.

"I'm sorry, Qrow. I can't keep this secret, it's going to put everyone else in danger if I go along with them" he stepped up next to Ruby.

"What secret?" Ironwood asked surprised. Watts looked intrigued as well.

"General, about what happened yesterday... when the soldiers attacked Yang and I" he looked like he was struggling with his words "I..." he looked back to Qrow, who looked genuinely scared but hid it well enough for the others not to notice.

"Yes, Slade?"

Slade sighed "Since the Fall of Beacon I have had severe pain in my abdomen every time I use my Semblance. I have been hiding it, but after my fight with Cordovin and Adam Taurus... it's only gotten worse"

"You're injured then?" he asked, Qrow let out a quiet sigh of relief.

"Yes, General. I went to Dr. Polendina last night before going into town and had him take a look at me. Apparently the two stab wounds Adam gave me at Beacon have been affecting me pretty badly, it's been making combat difficult as I have had to favor my left side more than I am used to"

"What did Pietro say?" he looked concerned.

"He said he didn't know if he could do anything about it, my Semblance... the part where I pass through things. Has been making the wounds stop from healing, but I don't know much about it otherwise" he held up a pill bottle "He gave me these for the pain, but it's actually only gotten worse" he explained.

"Your wounds haven't fully healed then" Ironwood rubbed his hand through his beard "I don't know if I can do anything for it myself, but Jaune's Semblance is healing is it not?"

"It is, General" Jaune answered.

"Perhaps Pietro can do something for you after all" Winter nodded to Penny.

"I will inform him you're coming then!" she quickly rushed out of the room.

"What else can you tell me?"

"Salem... when I suffered the wounds, she told me something that might help"

"Like what?" Qrow asked approaching.

"Ruby's eyes petrified the Wyvern atop Beacon that night, I was close enough to be in the blast radius of her eyes" he looked to Ruby "Somehow her eyes healed my wounds, but not fully it would seem"

"I healed you?" Ruby asked surprised.

"How is that possible?" Ren asked.

"I thought Silver Eyes only affected the Grimm" Yang added.

"They do" Ironwood looked intrigued "It's rare but I have heard rumors about them having other powers"

"It makes sense" Qrow rubbed his chin thoughtfully "Silver Eyes are using pure light energy. It's not entirely impossible for it to heal people"

"Then why did it affect Cinder the way that it did?" Ruby asked.

"What do you mean?" Ironwood asked surprised.

"When I used my eyes in Haven, Cinder looked like she was in pain from them. I asked Maria about it and she said there must've been something we didn't see"

"Hmm... well, whatever it was can wait for another day. Slade's condition should be our primary concern right now" he turned to Jaune "Take him to Pietro and see what can be done to help him. The rest of you need to keep an eye on the polls as we discussed before. I don't want Salem pulling something under our noses right now"

"What about the hideout?" Nora asked.

"Yeah, we shouldn't let that go unaddressed" Blake agreed.

"It could be the key to stopping Salem's activities here in the city. At the very least it could help us figure out who exactly she has working for her" Weiss added.

"I will be sending men that I trust to clear it out and take down anyone there. I want them alive so I have people to interrogate" he answered "Even so I would still like a Huntsman to be there"

"How about Ms. Rose?" Watts offered "She's used to leading a team"

"I can do it" Qrow offered.

"No, Qrow. I want you in charge of the polls, you're the only person who can quickly move from Atlas to Mantle if something happens. With Slade and Jaune indisposed Ruby is the only one here who has lead a team on mission before"

"I can do it, General" Ruby assured him confidently.

"Good, I will tell my team you're coming. Meet them at the academy landing pad in three hours" he turned to Slade "Get going to Pietro, if you're done fast enough you may be able to join her"

"Yes, General" Slade and Jaune left quickly.

"As for the rest of you, I want you keeping your eyes on the polls. Get going"

"We won't let you done!" Yang assured him.

"Be careful, all of you"

The teams left and started heading where they needed to go "Slade!" Yang called stopping him and Jaune in their tracks, Ruby and Qrow following after her.

"Thank you for telling us about what's going on with you" she smiled.

"Oh..." Slade felt a pang of regret for not telling them all the truth about Salem "Well, I figured it was better to address this than not. Wouldn't want to put any of you in further danger right?"

"Well, we appreciate it" Ruby smiled warmly at him.

"I only wish you told us sooner" Ren pointed out "We could've helped you know"

"Yeah, we wouldn't have let you strain yourself so much back in Argus" Nora agreed.

"That's exactly why I didn't mention it" Slade smirked "You all had enough to worry about without fawning over me the whole time. If you were all worrying about me back in Argus, we may not have all made it out alive"

"We would've been fine" Weiss stepped forward "Don't ever feel like you need to hide things from us just because your worried about us. We can take it, it can't be worse than Salem not being able to be killed right?"

"It makes sense now why you've been so weak lately" Blake pointed out "Back in Mantle you looked like you were going to pass out for a second"

"Thankfully my Semblance stopped me from looking too bad" he chuckled.

"You could've really hurt yourself when you started training us though" Nora glared "You should've told us sooner"

"I would've at least tried to heal it" Jaune agreed.

"I probably didn't help when I hit you with my Semblance" Yang's eyes were downcast.

"Don't worry yourself, Yang" Slade smiled warmly "You didn't have enough energy stored for your Semblance for it to do much, besides... you hit the wrong side anyway so nothing to worry about"

"Maybe, but that doesn't change I could've really hurt you"

"I know, I know" Slade waved dismissively "But it's done now and we're going to get it taken care of"

"Why did you not want Slade to mention it to Ironwood?" Ruby asked suspiciously to Qrow.

"Oh... uh... because of how he was reacting" he answered quickly "I figured it would just be more stress than he needed at the moment"

"He did seem to be taking things pretty hard" Weiss agreed.

"Doesn't matter now" Qrow turned toward the group "We all have our own missions to do, so let's get to it"

"Right, I gotta go get ready!" Ruby shouted excitedly "My first real mission as a Huntress"

"Be careful, Ruby. You're going to be alone" Yang turned to her sister.

"Psh! You worry too much! I'll be fine" she used her Semblance to rush away from the group.

"Ruby!" Weiss called exasperated "She's such a child"

Ren smiled lightly "She's right though, we should all get ready for our own mission. Get yourself healed up and ready. We're going to need you soon enough Slade"

"You bet"

"Ya! Smashing bad guys isn't nearly as fun when you're not doing it with your friends" Nora grinned.

"it's too bad I am going to be stuck back here instead of out there with you all" Oscar smirked "I'll be just as good as the rest of you, just you wait"

"Looking forward to it" Blake nodded.

"You can come with us, Oscar. You might be able to help" Jaune offered.

"Sure, why not" he shrugged.

"You two go on ahead, I need to talk to Qrow.

"Sure, race you" Oscar bolted off ahead of Jaune.

"Hey no fair!" he shouted following after him. Jaune and Oscar went the opposite way from the rest of RWBY and JNPR leaving Qrow and Slade alone in the hallway.

Qrow sighed "I am not even going to mention how annoyed I am by you hiding that injury right now, because you and I both know that wasn't what you were going to tell Ironwood" he started walking toward Polendina's office with Slade right beside him.

"Yeah well, I had to tell him something after I got started" Slade shrugged "It wasn't like I wasn't going to tell you guys about it, I just wanted it to be from me and not the Dr." he explained.

"I get it kid, but you can't tell Ironwood about Salem right now. He'll take you off the team and probably lock you up so you can't do anything with how he's been acting right now"

"He should know, Qrow. Everyone should, I have been keeping secrets from the people I care about long enough"

"That's a bad idea, Slade. I understand wanting to tell them, really I do. But there's no telling one of them won't let it slip to Ironwood. You saw how he reacted just by being told he should tell people the truth"

"Yeah, and I also saw him give in when provided a proper argument from Penny. He's paranoid, sure, we can all see that. But he's not unreasonable"

"I am telling you, Slade. You're going to want to keep this to yourself" he placed his hand onto his shoulder.

"Fine, fine" Slade shrugged him off "I'll keep this to myself for now, but they deserve to know eventually" Qrow stopped in the hallway and watched as Slade walked off, he sighed with a shake of his head.

"He's just as stubborn as I am" he groaned turning the opposite direction of him and walking off.

* * *

Salem hovered high in the sky, focusing on something below her. Energy passed from her hands down into a dark pit below, she grinned wickedly returning to the cliff nearby she found a Seer waiting for her "Arthur" she greeted.

"Master, I apologize for the disturbance but I have a report"

"What is it?"

"I have done as you've asked and given Ironwood the hideout location. What is it you plan to do exactly?"

"You saw what I plan already" she answered stepping closer to the Grimm "Ruby is going to be there correct?"

"Yes, and it would seem Mr. Stroud has suffered some kind of injury. He's not being allowed out of the academy until he's fully healed"

"Good, then he won't be interfering tonight" she nodded "Was there anything else?"

"Tyrian is in position, if I give the order-"

"Don't. Keep Tyrian on standby for now, but focus on the girl"

"Of course. May I ask something?"

"You may"

"You've given Tyrian and Emerald the ability to teleport, which I am sure they're grateful for... but it seems quite taxing on Tyrian"

"That ability is a power that feeds on Aura when used. That is why I told them both to use it sparingly, if they use it too much during a fight, they'll die" she explained.

"I suppose that makes sense, but why the airship schematics? What do you plan to do with them?"

"It's not what I plan for them, Arthur. It's what I have already done" she grinned, guiding the Seer to the edge and allowing him to see below her.

"Oh my..." he looked genuinely frightened "I am glad that thing is on our side" a roar tore through the air.

* * *

Slade entered Pietro's office and found Oscar and Jaune panting lightly, he chuckled at the sight "Who won?"

"Considering they both just bashed down my door together, I would say it was more of a tie" Dr. Polendina laughed "So. May I ask exactly what you're here for? Penny mentioned you would be coming but not what it was about"

"They haven't told you?" Slade asked.

"They've been too busy wheezing" Maria answered.

"Ironwood knows" Slade turned toward Pietro.

"Ah, so you've told him" he smiled "Considering how adamant you were about keeping it to yourself, I must say I am surprised"

"Yeah, well... something came up and I didn't want to do anything that might put my friends in danger"

"That's quite noble of you" Maria smiled "What exactly is the problem anyway?"

"Mr. Stroud here has two very deep stab wounds that've been festering since the Fall of Beacon. We believe his Semblance has been the root cause of it not healing"

"That's why I brought Jaune along" Slade gestured toward him "His Semblance amplifies Aura, making it easier to heal wounds that would otherwise be fatal or more devastating"

"That is impressive"

"Do you think with his help we can do something about it?"

"Perhaps" he stood from his desk "What did Mr. Pine come for?"

"Figured he could help hold him down if need be, I doubt Maria is going to do very much in that regard" Jaune answered.

"Well, you're not wrong" she laughed.

"Then let's get to work" Slade propped himself up on the exam table.

"Now, Mr. Stroud. I cannot guarantee you're going to enjoy the experience but I can put you to sleep so you don't feel anything"

"Jaune's Semblance should stop it from being too painful, besides... I don't like being unconscious. Gives Salem too much free time in my head" he laid on his stomach, his head hanging over the end of the table.

"Alright, but don't say I didn't warn you" he turned to Oscar "Mr. Pine, stay close. I need you to keep his shoulders down if he starts flailing"

"I understand" he stood in place for the best leverage over him.

"Now, Mr. Arc. Do you have any medical training?"

"No, Sir. I only recently discovered my Semblance"

"Alright then, I will direct you. Just do what I tell you and everything should be fine"

"Alright" Jaune nodded.

Jaune started using his Semblance on Slade while Pietro used his scanner to oversee the process. Oscar rested his hands on Slade's shoulders and Maria watched, confident in Dr. Polendina's ability. After some time, Jaune looked to be getting tired.

"Let's take a break, Mr. Arc appears to be using up all of his Aura"

"That's fine" Slade groaned lightly "How's it going?"

"Very well, the deepest wound seems to be almost fully healed. Should probably be another two sessions like that and you'll be all healed up"

"I thought those wounds were just from Cordovin" Jaune panted out "Never would've figured that was how you ended up getting all your other injuries to begin with"

"My Semblance didn't work when I tried to use it then, the pain shooting through me was what made me crash through the trees. I managed to use my Aura to protect myself somewhat, but Adam's Semblance didn't help the situation"

"Neither did using yours on the Leviathan" Oscar pointed out.

Slade chuckled "No, probably not"

"Alright, well... let's give Mr. Arc a couple of more minutes to recover before trying again. Hopefully we can have this all resolved today so you can assist Ironwood more easily"

"That's the hope, especially if the election ends with someone who's going to be giving him a hard time getting the seat"

"I'm surprised it's still an issue for you, I could've sworn I healed these for you" Jaune panted.

"You did, Jaune" Slade turned his head toward him "It seems using my Semblance too much lately caused them to get worse, likely reopened the wounds in a fight or something"

"That would be the most likely" Polendina agreed "I'll be keeping an eye on it myself, to make sure nothing comes back. Jaune, you should probably check him over every now and again to make sure he's not got any underlying injuries to deal with for at least the next few weeks"

"Gotcha"

* * *

Ruby sat in the airship across from the captain of the Atlas squad "Gentlemen!" the captain called addressing the group "We're touching down in five. Lightning rounds only, we're shooting to stun, not kill. General Ironwood wants them alive for questioning, we hit them hard and fast and we're done before they even know what's going on" he gestured to Ruby "Ms. Rose here is a Huntress, General wants her along. She may look young but don't underestimate her! If she gives you an order, I expect you to obey her as if it were me" he opened the door on the airship "Let's make it happen people"

They all leapt out of the airship just as it hovered over the street. The soldiers all stacked up against the wall "We're going through the front. Ruby, you take the back"

"Got it" she used her Semblance to reach the back door quickly.

"Breaching in 3...2..." they smashed through the door and quickly dropped the two men there, knocking them unconscious "Bag em" he lead the soldiers inside as Ruby made her way through the back "Ruby, what's your status?"

"Three men down at the rear entrance, I am in the atrium. White truck" she answered "There's a couple dozen guys in here, you see any more?"

"We're directly across from you, blue van" he answered "On my signal"

"Ready"

"Concussion grenade out" he tossed the grenade on the ground between two men, they shouted after it detonated, blinding them.

"Atlas military, get on the ground!" they yelled firing into the men who drew their weapons on them. Ruby fired Crescent Rose in it's gun form with lightning rounds, dropping two men as they aimed at her. Ruby placed Crescent Rose on her back and leapt over a crate, using her hands to push her forward and kicked both her heels into the chest of a thug turning to attack her. Another grabbed her as she planted her feet down, she wrapped her arms around his neck and flipped sideways onto his back, punching him in the face. The Atlas Captain fired into both the men on the ground stunning them.

Ruby and the squad quickly used the bolases given to them to round up the unconscious criminals easily "That went better than I thought"

"Indeed it did" the Captain smiled "It helps to work with a Huntress of course"

"Just doing my job, Captain!" she saluted with a bright smile.

"I can see why Ironwood likes you" he laughed "C'mon, we should get these guys out of here. We'll handle clean-up. You should report back to him personally"

"Really? Thanks!" she lifted an unconscious man onto her shoulder and managing to get him outside without too much difficulty, she tossed him into the prisoner transport ship with the others and closed the door "Is that all of them?"

"That's it, job is done for you. Ma'am" he smiled "Do me a favor and put in a good word for us in with General Ironwood, huh? I will be sure to do the same for you when I write up my report" the airship took off toward Atlas.

"You betcha!" Ruby smiled proudly "Well, I guess that means the job is done!" she repeated, placing her hands on her hips "It's been a pleasure working with you, Captain-"

"Ruby! Rose!" a metallic voice called from behind her, she and the soldiers turned and aimed their weapons toward the man clapping as he approached. The man wore a full black skintight jacket with matching pants along with black combat boots, gloves and a black helmet covering his entire face with a bright red, glowing visor. He had two holster's, one on each side of his waist, a combat knife strapped to the right side of his hip and a holster on his left shoulder.

"Hands up!" the Captain yelled.

"Woah, woah I am a fan. Truly" he laughed "The way her eyes glow and Grimm vanish, the cool scythe, the combat skirt. All of it" he smirked beneath his helmet "You guys too, you're very cute with your matching outfits"

Ruby tilted her head in confusion "Who're you? How do you know my name?"

"I am what you would call... a bad guy"

"Get on your knees!" the Captain yelled emphasizing each word.

"Oh what? You want to see my hands? Place them on my head right?" he asked with a laugh "I think I am gonna go with, no" he grabbed his pistol from his left holster and fired into the Captain's head, killing him instantly before anyone could react. Twisting with blinding speed, he elbowed the soldier to his right in the throat and grabbed him by his left shoulder throwing him to the ground with tremendous strength. The soldier to his left fired his weapon just as the man grabbed the end of the barrel with his hand and directed it away from him, then elbowed the other end away from him before slamming his fist into his chest, launching the soldier into the wall several feet behind him.

The man holstered his gun and grabbed a soldier's hand as he reached for his own sidearm. Grabbing it himself with his free hand, he outstretched the soldier's arm painfully and fired into another's face. Spinning his arm behind his back, he slammed his knee into the soldier's face, shattering his helmet and throwing him up into the air onto the hood of the nearby car, he kicked the last soldier in the chest, launching him a large distance away and fired into his head as he flew killing him and then the other soldier on the car with a bullet to the head all in a manner of seconds.

Turning toward Ruby she fired regular bullets at him, he placed his palm out in front of him and blocked the bullets easily "Oh, poor Ruby" he lowered his hand and dropped the gun to the ground "You're all alone now" he outstretched his arms "What're you gonna do? Run away? Or fight?" Ruby transformed Crescent Rose into it's scythe form and launched herself at him.

The man crossed his arms over his chest and flipped over Crescent Rose, she swung again and he ducked back beneath the strike without moving his arms. Catching her next strike in his hand he slammed his fist into her chest, throwing her backward across the street "Good, Ruby. I enjoy a fight" he laughed slamming his fist into his open palm "Gives me something fun for a change. I so rarely get to fight Huntsmen"

Ruby stood up "Who are you? What do you want with me?"

"Who I am is not important my dear girl" he answered "As to what I want with you? Nothing personally" he shrugged "But when I get paid to do a job, I put my all into doing it"

"Who's paying you?" she asked.

"No, no, no. We're done with the questions now, Ruby. Now... you're going to be coming with me-" the man was interrupted when a powerful kick to his back threw him through the air, he rolled to a stop and turned around to find his attacker "Slade Stroud!" he laughed "My but I wasn't expecting to see you here"

"Do I know you?" Slade asked aiming Defiance at his chest.

"No, but I know you. Big fan of your work, wish I could stay and chat but I have something important to do and you happen to be in my way" he gestured toward Ruby.

"If you think I am going to let you get anywhere near her-"

"It's not really about what you're going to let me do it's more like... you don't have a choice, here friend" he leapt backward just as Nora slammed Magnhild down where he stood, landing on the sidewalk he blocked the bullets fired at him by Ren with his hands and then twisted around kicking Yang in the face as she swung for him, knocking her to the ground "I see you have friends, well then..." he looked toward Ruby "Looks like I am going to have to get some friends of my own before I can take you" he shrugged "Oh well, ta!" he waved and turned on his heel, racing away from them.

"Stop!" Slade gave chase, passing up Yang as she did the same.

"Nora, Ren! Stay with Ruby!" Yang called following after Slade. The man raced through the streets and ducked into an alleyway as several security cars blocked him off. Following close behind him, Slade found the man leaping over a fence and sliding down the small hill to a highway with cars racing by at deadly speeds. Slade aimed Defiance at him through the fence and fired into his back, the man shrugged off the bullets like they were nothing, they didn't even penetrate his jacket.

Yang caught up and noticed the shield surrounding the road, the man placed his hands through the shield and forced it open, dropping the shield for that portion of the road by shorting it out "That's insane, he's gonna cross it? Those people wouldn't even be able to see him until they're about to hit him!"

"He's getting away!" Slade started to climb.

"Hey! What're you doing!?" she asked incredulously grabbing his shoulder and pulling him back down.

"I can't let him get away, he's our only lead right now. We may never find him again until he comes back for Ruby"

"He won't get away, he's never going to make it to the other side"

The man rushed across the lane, managing to stay ahead of the first care, he flipped forward over the second and jumped forward between the third and the car behind it making it to the median in the center of the road.

"I can't take that chance, Yang!" he began climbing again.

"No! You will get yourself killed-" Slade brushed her off and vaulted the fence, sliding down toward the road.

"Slade! Dammit!"

"What's going on!?" Nora yelled as she, Ren and Ruby showed up behind her.

"What is he doing!?" Ren shouted in shock.

"Being an idiot!" Yang shouted following after him.

Slade ran through the first lane, timing his run with the car, then he leapt up over the second barely managing to stay above it and slid beneath the third car sideways as it drove over him. Slade was right behind the man now as he passed through the fourth lane, he wrapped his arm around the man's neck stopping him in his tracks.

"You're persistent boy!" he flipped Slade over him. Slade planted his feet down and twisted around just in time to see the car coming at him. Slade forced himself forward and kicked for the man's head. Catching the kick in his palm he threw Slade backward. Yang reached them both and slammed her fist toward his chest, he caught her fist in his other hand while catching another kick from Slade. The man kicked his right heel into the back of Slade's knee, dropping him onto his back then kicked Yang back with incredible strength, she stumbled as a truck was making it's way to her, she was unable to get out of the way.

"Yang!" Slade wrenched himself free of the man's grip and tackled Yang out of the way of the truck to the safety of the median. Yang and Slade's eyes met, they both blushed lightly from their proximity. Slade composed himself quickly, getting off of her and searching for his target "Damn" he sighed running a hand through his hair. No matter where he looked he couldn't find any sign of the man.

Ruby landed next to them having used Crescent Rose to launch herself over the cars "Where'd he go?" she asked as Nora and Ren arrived right behind them.

"He got away" Slade answered turning back toward them, Yang had just gotten to her feet.

"Sorry" Yang looked down disappointed.

"What're you sorry for?" Nora asked confused "Slade saved your life!"

"I shouldn't have been so foolish" Yang answered "If I had been paying more attention I wouldn't have needed to be saved"

"Yang-" Ruby started.

"Don't beat yourself up about it, Yang. This guy was good and he was fast" he assured her "It's more likely if you hadn't been the one who needed saving it just would've been me not long afterward. That guy was trying to escape not fight"

Yang smiled gratefully "Well you were the one who was stupid enough to follow him, first" Yang laughed punching him in the shoulder.

"I guess I deserve that"

"You're all healed up then?" she asked hopefully.

Slade grinned "Oh yes! I am back to 100%. Didn't even have to use my Semblance to-" he groaned lightly as his hand shot down to his abdomen "Okay, correction, 95%. I am still a bit sore" they all laughed.

"Well I for one am very glad you showed when you did, all of you" Ruby turned serious "Whoever that guy was, he was really strong"

"We could see that much! He floored a whole team of Atlas soldiers like it was nothing" Nora pointed out.

"Any Huntsman could do that with ease" Ren crossed his arms "Do you think he might've been-"

"No" Slade answered before the question was voiced "I think someone sent Ruby into a trap. And I know just the person to talk to" Slade growled.

* * *

Ironwood smashed his hands down onto his desk in anger "Another team, people I could trust! Dead!" he looked at the group in front of him "What happened!?"

Ruby timidly approached "Captain Bates and I entered the hideout with his team and easily took down the men inside. Once we had them in our bolases we got them into the prison transport and sent them up to Atlas. That's when some guy I had never seen before showed up and just killed the team like it was nothing, couldn't have been any more than five or six seconds and they were all dead" she explained.

"This man" Penny pulled up an image from the security camera's in the area.

"Does he look familiar to you?" Slade asked hopeful.

"Unfortunately not" Ironwood sighed "Under that helmet he could be anyone. Did he say anything? Anything that could've given away who he was?"

"No, Sir" Ruby looked down disappointed.

"He knew who Ruby and Slade were though" Nora pointed out.

"That's not all that surprising in Slade's case, giving him a reputation was the whole point of all the work I did. I may have returned it to normal, but he had already made a name for himself before I exaggerated some things"

"Were it only Slade he knew, it wouldn't have been worth noting" Ren replied.

"If he knew who she was and wanted to capture her, does that mean he works for Salem?" Jaune asked.

Weiss crossed her arms "As if we don't have enough problems"

Blake's ears drooped "Maybe he's connected to the men who've been impersonating your soldiers"

"I suspect that is the case, on both counts" Ironwood sighed "Unfortunately, we don't have anyway of proving it yet. We're still having the men you captured interrogated as we speak"

"Ruby walked right into a trap, a trap that was set specifically for her, General" Oscar pointed out.

"I know what you're thinking" Ironwood stood from his desk "Unfortunately, even if it is Arthur we don't have any proof-"

"Screw proof! He tried to kidnap Ruby and almost killed Yang!" Qrow shouted in anger.

"I understand you're upset, Qrow. But I have no way of proving Watts guilt, if I were to arrest him now the council would hang me for abuse of power"

Oscar looked to Ironwood "The council didn't take very well to what you told them I take it"

"They took it fine" he stepped around his desk "Unfortunately, Jacques is now a member of the council and he has quite a way with words. He'd be able to sway the others against me at even the slightest hint-"

"How do you know my father won? They haven't even announced the winner yet" Weiss asked.

"We have the results, Weiss" Winter sighed "The announcement will be made before the end of the day once he has been given proper security access"

"With that in mind, I do have multiple forms of surveillance in Arthur's office and have had Penny watching everything he does on his scroll since Pietro informed us of the possibility of him being the hacker"

"If he does anything, we're going to know about it" Winter assured.

"Unfortunately he hasn't done anything suspicious since we started surveilling him" Penny's adeed disappointed.

"Has Dr. Polendina finished reconstructing the data on who accessed the drones yet?" Blake asked hopeful.

"Yes" Ironwood nodded, placing his hands behind his back "Pietro has informed me that the access codes were McLaren's old code. It was since deactivated"

"You still had her access codes the same as before?" Jaune asked surprised.

"No, the drones were hacked before I returned from Vale, meaning the access codes wouldn't have been changed until then. In my haste to increase security I neglected to deactivate her access. Unfortunately, because of my misstep, we're going to have to wait for Salem's next move before we can track anything once more. The deleted personnel files, looping data feed, falsified orders, even the blocked security reports were all done from McLaren's codes at a public terminal out in the city outside of any camera's view" Ironwood explained.

"What about the data drive Slade found?" Yang asked.

"Just some viruses. Penny told us they were used to revoke or prematurely expire any and all forms of identification for the Faunus population of Atlas. Thankfully she managed to fix that before the day was done. Unfortunately, nothing else was on the drive. We did confirm that terminal was the one used to delete the digital files we had on the criminals you fought in Mantle, Slade"

Penny stepped in front of the group, her back to Ironwood "I detected the intrusion the moment it occurred, but I wasn't able to fight it off due to the direct access of the viruses without compromising myself. Thankfully we had Blake around to inform you all of the situation before it got out of hand"

"I'd still like to know how they got into the school without us noticing" Winter crossed her arms.

"Given what we know, anything is possible at this point. Tyrian could've teleported them inside, they could've been let in by the infiltrator or it could be neither of those options. Find out" Ironwood ordered looking to Penny.

"Yes, Sir"

"What should we do in the meantime then? With the election done with, I doubt Salem is going to wait around" Oscar asked.

"Keep training, enjoy what free time you have now, and keep your eyes open for anything suspicious. Especially concerning Arthur, I want to know if he's being played to look like the culprit or if he's been hiding his connection to Salem from me all this time"

"I'll get them into fighting shape, Sir" Slade smirked.

"Speaking of" Ironwood smiled "You seem to be back to your old self again"

"Just about" Slade chuckled "Still a bit sore, but the meds Pietro gave me should help with that. Jaune did one hell of a job"

"Thanks" Jaune rubbed the back of his head with a small smile.

"Now if we can just figure out Oscar's situation with Ozpin, we might be able to learn something useful about Salem. Now that we know the truth about her and all" Nora pointed out.

"Ozpin would be helpful for planning our next move. He always seemed to know the right thing to do, even when no one else did. Though, we should manage it ourselves for now. We don't want to put all our cards on Ozpin saving the day" Qrow explained.

"Yeah, Beacon fell even with his help" Ruby nodded.

"Well come on then!" Slade shouted "Back to the training room!" they all jumped at his commanding tone and immediately rushed toward the direction of it as he followed close behind.

Ironwood and Winter remained after they all left "General" she called as he returned to his seat.

"Something you need, Winter?" he asked leaning back into his chair.

"Did Slade seem like he was hiding something? When he told you about his injury, it seemed like Qrow was worried about something more"

"You think Qrow knows something about Slade we don't" he sighed "I noticed his unease, yes. I am hoping it has more to do with how I have been acting recently, but I can't know for sure"

"How you've been acting, Sir?" she asked surprised.

He chuckled "You don't need to do that, Winter. I know you've noticed it too. I'm paranoid, erratic even... it's what happened at Beacon. It's caused no small amount of nightmares and unwelcome thoughts. Learning the truth about Salem, that she cannot be killed... it's made me start to reevaluate my priorities"

"How so, Sir?" Winter asked concerned.

"Ozpin was right to keep her secret from the world. Too many people would flock to her side if they knew the truth, but I believe that people as a whole would fight against her if they knew of her, not about her immortality... but once they learn of her existence, it is only a matter of time before they learn of the inevitability of our defeat. We're fighting a lost cause, Winter. One that I will die for if need be" he stood from his desk and turned to look out the window, his hands behind his back.

"You don't believe we can win, Sir?"

"I don't believe there is much we can do to stop Salem. I believe that the deck is stacked against us at every turn" he turned back to her with a comforting smile "But I whole heartedly believe that we're the only ones who can stop her. Killing her may be impossible, but death is not the only solution"

"Do you have an idea for how to stop her?"

"Not yet" he answered honestly "But I believe I am starting to form one, I just need some time, and more intel" he stepped closer to her "Right now we need to focus on repelling whatever attack she sends our way, keeping Ruby safe and the relics secure. Once that is done, we can then turn our attention to the Maidens. If we're going to have any shot at stopping Salem, we're going to need all four of them. With or without Ozpin, we're going to stop Salem or die trying"

"Do you know who all the Maidens are, General?"

"Cinder Fall is the Fall Maiden, Raven Branwen is the Spring Maiden, and the Winter Maiden's identity is known only to me and Ozpin. We did it that way for a reason, wanted to make sure if I was killed, that someone knew who she was. I guess that didn't exactly go to plan" he chuckled ruefully.

"What about the Summer Maiden?" Winter asked curiously.

Ironwood closed his eyes, crossing his arms in front of his chest "Elise Stroud was the last known Summer Maiden to me. Whoever the current one is remains a mystery for now, I am sure Ozpin knows. If we can get him back, then we might have a shot at finding her. If not, we'll make do"

"Understood, Sir. Do you have any orders for me?"

"Just one" he opened his eyes "Do whatever you can to help Ruby Rose stop this attack"

Winter looked shocked "Ruby? You think she is the key to stopping Salem's plans here in Atlas?"

"Ruby Rose and her team are the only reason Haven didn't fall to Salem and the only reason the kingdom of Vale is still standing"

"I don't understand"

"Ruby used the power of her eyes for the first time during the Fall of Beacon due to witnessing the death of Pyrrha Nikos. Cinder Fall apparently sustained some serious injuries from her because of it and was forced to retreat with her coconspirators, the Wyvern was encased in stone, while still alive it cannot move itself from it's spot atop the tower. If that hadn't happened, the Grimm would've overrun the entire kingdom instead of just the city and the school" he sat back into his chair.

"The Wyvern would've led the rest of the Grimm against the kingdom"

"Cinder Fall might even have obtained the relic from Beacon as well. Yang Xiao Long, she is the only reason Raven didn't take the Relic of Knowledge from Haven and Blake Belladonna is the one responsible for stopping Adam Taurus and the White Fang from destroying the school" she smiled "Weiss Schnee's injury was the only reason Jaune Arc unlocked his Semblance. Ruby is the reason they're the first to learn the full truth about Salem and Ozpin, giving us a real fighting chance"

"That's not even mentioning the fact of Slade Stroud having been convinced to assist them and start fighting Salem openly once again, none of us thought that was ever going to happen"

"Indeed, and if you remember, Qrow is the only one to know anything about Slade before everything going on in Haven. Slade never would've traveled with Yang to the city of Mistral to begin with if it hadn't been for his connection to Qrow"

"It's all seeming a bit convenient. Like someone planned it even" Winter pondered aloud.

"I'm not saying it's fate, Winter. But impossible things are accomplished by those kids everyday... I think you might want to stick around and see just what they're really capable of"

Winter remained silent, mulling it over in her head "Alright, but if Qrow starts another fight with me again, I'll kill him"

Ironwood chuckled "Your assignment is to assist them not like them, Winter. Just do what you do best"

"Yes, Sir" she saluted.

* * *

"What do you think, Father?" Penny asked as she walked through the halls of the academy beside him and Maria.

"I think you did a fantastic job! You really scared those miscreants" he chuckled "Ironwood didn't believe me when I told him you'd be a good interrogator"

"She can smell lies" Maria added with a playful smirk.

"Lies cannot be smelt" Penny tilted her head in confusion.

"It's a figure of speech, Kiddo"

Penny's eyes widened in surprise "Oh..." she giggled nervously.

"She's still not great with those, takes things a bit too literally sometimes" Pietro laughed.

"Well I can't blame her. She doesn't exactly get a whole lot of social interaction outside of Winter and General Ironwood. They're not exactly examples of social-"

"Ooooooo" Penny zipped past them excitedly before zipping back in front of them "Ruby and her team must be training! Can we go watch? Please?" she asked like in a childish tone.

Pietro bellowed with laughter "I need to speak with Ironwood, but you go on ahead"

"Please, Father? You're always working" she frowned, he sighed with a small smile.

"Alright, alright, we'll go together. I am sure the General won't mind me checking in on Slade's condition before meeting with him"

"Thank you!" she rushed them both to the training room.

"Slow down, Penny. They're not going anywhere" he laughed. Once they arrived they found RWBY and JNPR sitting on the sidelines watching the match between Oscar, Qrow and Slade.

"Hey, Penny!" Ruby waved excitedly "Hi Dr. Polendina and Maria"

"Salutations!" Penny shouted grabbing her into a bone-crushing hug.

"Careful, Penny" Pietro warned as he sat down beside the group "It's nice to see you again too, Ruby. How're you all doing?"

"Good!"

"Just swell"

"I am doing fine" they all answered over each other.

"What're you doing here, Doctor?" Blake asked curiously.

"Yeah, you don't usually watch our training matches" Weiss added.

"Penny dragged me along, actually. Said I have been working too much"

"If anyone has-" Ren started.

"Damn right you are!" Nora shouted.

"What's going on in the ring?" Penny asked "What kind of training are they doing?"

"They're trying to teach us how to fight against multiple experienced opponents on our own. Oscar seems to be keeping up with them pretty well" Jaune answered.

"He has been improving much faster than the rest of us" Ruby admitted.

"He's a natural then" Maria concluded.

"More likely he's picked some things up from Ozpin subconsciously. Two souls merged into one is bound to have some side effects" Pietro corrected.

Qrow spun Harbinger in his hand to block Oscar's strike then, changing it into scythe form spun it on his right shoulder as he turned, blocking a second strike from the cane and slashed for his head. Oscar ducked as he turned around the scythe strike for him and thrust his cane back beneath his right arm for Qrow's head. Qrow lifted his scythe over his head and struck for Oscar's but was stopped as he spun his cane over his head.

Oscar turned and grabbed his scythe handle with one hand, pulling Qrow toward him and stepped backward just in time to avoid Slade's punch colliding with Qrow's face, throwing him back. Slade caught Harbinger in his hand as Qrow lost his grip and spun the scythe up, forcing Oscar to hop back away from it, then block four consecutive strikes as he spun it around his head. Slade thrust the scythe blade around his legs and pulled back just as Oscar leapt up over the blade only to receive a powerful kick to his abdomen, throwing him backward, he slid to a stop.

"Very good, you managed to use my partner's attack against me and have been keeping yourself ahead of most of our attacks. You've been improving quite a lot" Qrow said as he made his way back over to Slade, holding his hand out for his weapon. Slade returned it and smirked at him.

"Wanna step it up a notch?" Oscar asked confidently.

"You think you're up for it?" Qrow asked curiously.

"I think I can manage, I would like to see how I fair against the two of you being serious"

"Serious huh?" Qrow asked surprised.

"I won't use my Semblance, you're not that good yet" Slade chuckled.

"Aw, c'mon-"

"No amount of whining is going to change my mind, Oscar" Slade replied "If I were to use my Semblance on you, this wouldn't even be a challenge. Not unless all of you were fighting me at once"

"Fine" Oscar got back into a combat stance.

"Let's do it then" Qrow smirked changing Harbinger back into it's blade form.

Slade charged with Qrow not far behind. Stopping right in front of Oscar, Slade ducked beneath a strike for his head. Qrow stepped onto his shoulder and leapt up launching Harbinger into the ground in front of him. Oscar leapt back away from it, barely managing to dodge the strike. Slade rolled over Qrow's back and kicked for Oscar's chest as Qrow slid back away from him.

Oscar blocked the strike with his arm and thrust his cane for his face. Slade ducked as Qrow fired Harbinger into Oscar's shoulder, stumbling him backward. Slade leapt over Oscar kicking as he spun to the ground, he blocked with his cane. Gaining his footing, Slade fired Defiance under his arm, forcing Oscar to sidestep the bullet before ducking beneath Qrow's blade.

Slade launched himself off the floor with his hands, and slammed both of his heels into Oscar's back, throwing him into Qrow's punch to his abdomen. Twisting back toward Slade, he swung his cane for his head, only to miss as Qrow slashed his back with Harbinger. Slade slammed his heel into Oscar's chest, throwing him onto his back as his Aura sparked around him.

"That's enough" Qrow called, resting Harbinger on his shoulder.

Slade holstered Defiance "Told you" he approached Oscar as he was struggling to his feet.

"Well, it looks like Mr. Stroud has greatly improved since Mr. Arc operated on him" Pietro smiled.

"I didn't detect a single usage of his Semblance" Penny grinned "You must be a terrific healer, Jaune"

"Thanks, Dr. Polendina helped me a lot, though. Wouldn't have been able to do it without him" he blushed lightly from embarrassment, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand.

"Always so modest" Weiss elbowed him playfully.

"You alright, Oscar?" Slade asked extending his hand out to him.

"Yeah, just overdid it" he coughed as he accepted the hand, pulling himself to his feet "Should've told you my Aura was low"

"Yes, you should've" Slade said sternly, Oscar's eyes were downcast. Slade smiled "But, you don't need me telling you that. You've already figured that much out for yourself. You've really been improving quickly these past few days"

"Really?" Oscar asked surprised.

"Yeah, you've improved more than anyone else here so far. Partially because of your connection to Ozpin, but I think you might just be a natural born Huntsman"

"He's right, being able to keep up with the both of us so easily isn't something most students can do. Those kids over there are all skilled and more experienced than most, but even they have difficulty facing multiple opponents at once" Qrow agreed.

Oscar smiled proudly "Thank you-" _Oscar!_ his eyes suddenly flashed indicating Ozpin had taken over, shocking the two of them.

"Oz?" Qrow asked.

"AURGH!" Oscar shouted.

"Oscar!" Slade grabbed his shoulder, suddenly Slade's eyes flashed red and his Aura flared.

"What's going on!?" Pietro asked concerned at the shouting.

Slade's eyes returned to their natural green and his Aura flashed between red and blue for a few seconds before Oscar and Slade were thrown to opposite ends of the arena, both of them smashing into the walls, a powerful burst of energy sent Qrow sliding back several feet, he shielded his face with his arm as he slid.

"Oscar!" Ruby shouted using her Semblance to rush to his side.

"Slade!" Yang shouted in unison.

Pietro rushed over to Oscar with Nora, Ren and Maria while Yang did the same for Slade with Blake, Jaune and Weiss. Penny stood in shock looking between Oscar and Slade before shaking her head clear and rushing to the boy.

"Slade? Slade!" Yang shook him as Qrow rushed to her side.

"I'm okay" he grunted picking himself up "Where's Oscar? What happened?"

"He's over there, but I don't know what-" Qrow was interrupted as Slade rushed past the group over to Oscar.

"Slade!" Blake and Yang called following behind him.

"I guess he can't be hurt that bad" Weiss shrugged.

"C'mon" Jaune followed with Weiss and Qrow behind.

"How is he?" Slade asked concerned.

"I don't know, he doesn't seem to be injured too severely. Some minor bruising, perhaps some internally" Pietro turned "Jaune, I need you for a moment"

"Anything" he knelt down beside him.

"Check for injuries" he ordered.

"Yes, Sir" he began using his Semblance.

"What happened?" Ruby asked looking at Slade.

"I don't know, one minute Oscar is fine, the next he is screaming" Slade answered.

"What was that blast?" Ren looked at the marks on the floor where they stood previously.

"What blast?" Slade asked.

"The one that launched you both across the rooms!" Nora shouted "It felt like a powerful gust of wind tore through the air"

"I don't know" Slade wracked his brain "It happened so fast... I-I-I"

"It's alright, Slade. It's not your fault" Pietro assured him "How is he?"

"He doesn't appear to have any wounds" Jaune answered deactivating his Semblance "There's nothing I can do for him, he's just unconscious"

"Quickly then, bring him to my office" Jaune and Ren lifted him up and carried him out of the room "Penny, find Ironwood and tell him what happened. Bring him to my office immediately.

"Yes, Father" she zoomed out of the room at incredible speed.

"This... this is all my fault" Slade clenched his fists in anger.

"We don't know that yet, kid" Qrow placed his hand onto his shoulder.

"Mr. Branwen is right. Until we hear Mr. Pine's side of the story we may not know exactly what happened. No sense beating yourself up over something that could've been completely unrelated to you. We still don't understand everything about Ozpin and his connection to his hosts, especially because he's never locked himself away in their subconscious before"

"I-" Slade started.

"Hey" Yang pulled him into a one arm hug "It's not your fault, Slade. You would never do something to hurt Oscar, we all know that. We'll figure out what happened so we can make sure it never happens again"

Slade relaxed in her embrace, returning the hug "Thank you"

* * *

"General Ironwood, so good of you to finally join us" Jacques sneered from his seat as Ironwood and Winter entered the room "I was beginning to think we would have to send someone to collect you ourselves, considering how close this chamber is to your personal quarters, you'd think you would actually take the effort to be on time"

"My apologies, Councilman Rawlings, Schnee and Councilwoman Harris for keeping you all waiting" he nodded to them and took his seat at the head of the table, Winter standing firmly beside him with her arms behind her back. Jacques sat directly across from Ironwood, sitting to either side of them are Rawlings and Harris. Harris was a tall brown haired woman with matching brown eyes and a pale complexion, her hair was tied back into a single bun. Rawlings was a portly man with gray hair and a large beard covering his face, with a pair of blue eyes. They both wore fancy clothes similar to that of Jacques.

"There's no need to apologize, General" Rawlings deep voice replied with a small smile "You're a busy man, even more so nowadays"

"That doesn't excuse him from being tardy to a meeting, especially after we all made the long trip up here for his convenience" Harris narrowed her eyes at Rawlings.

"Calling a meeting without consulting me on the subject is highly irregular, Councilwoman. I believe it is only natural for me to take precautions that I am prepared for all possible subjects we might speak of-"

"Come now, James. We all know why we're here" Jacques chuckled "Addressing the concerns of our kingdom, which means we have a lot to discuss. I suspect we may be here for awhile"

"I'm surprised you're not starting us off talking about your recent inauguration"

"We're in a time of crisis, James. We don't have time for such petty nonsense" he replied honestly, surprising Ironwood.

"Alright. Then with that in mind I was hoping we could start by addressing-"

"What exactly is she doing here?" Jacques asked referring to his daughter "She's not a member of the council, we really shouldn't-"

"Specialist Schnee is my second in command, she as every right to be here" Ironwood answered defensively.

"Jacques, do we really need to waste our time with such trivialities?" Rawlings asked cocking his eyebrow "Surely we can move onto more important matters"

"You're right. I apologize. We have many more important things to talk about"

"I agree" Ironwood narrowed his eyes.

"General, you have operated with a fair amount of autonomy over the past few months, more so than anyone that has ever held your position before. We need you to work with us instead of on your own" Harris explained.

Winter forced down her scowl, her grip tightening around her other hand.

"Councilwoman, I have only every done what is best for Atlas-"

"What's best?" Harris asked "It's best for Atlas to close off our borders to the rest of the world, damaging our relations?"

"Councilwoman if you would allow me to explain"

"General" Rawlings sighed "I have the upmost of faith in your capabilities, but it's obvious the other kingdoms aren't preparing to invade us. We have proof our mechanical soldiers were hacked and weren't acting on our orders at Beacon. The embargo is only harming the kingdom instead of helping. I want to believe you're doing the right thing here, General. But you have to give us something"

"Please-"

"I must say I agree. I am afraid there's more than just your choices that have brought harm to our people lately. Have your forces found any evidence as to who is responsible for hacking our security drones? Relaying false orders to our soldiers? Quarantining or slaughtering Faunus?" Jacques cocked his eyebrow.

"The investigation is ongoing, I wish I could say more but the details are classified for good reason. I'm afraid there's nothing-"

"I'm afraid of the ever-growing list of "Classified" information you seem to be keeping from us, General" Harris growled.

"If you would all give me a chance to explain-" he tried once more.

"Tell us then, James. Tell us just how exactly we know this is an infiltrator? You haven't presented us with any evidence to prove the statement, and you're the only person in this room who knew about it. Realistically, it's beginning to look like you're the one responsible for all of these tragedy's going on here"

"I have proof, Councilors. What I am doing will help the people of Atlas, but you have to understand that discretion is our highest priority right now"

"Are you saying you don't trust us, James?" Jacques narrowed his eyes.

"Trust is earned not bought... Sir" Winter answered.

"Being a member of the council doesn't make us incorruptible, Schnee" Rawlings turned toward him "You know as well as I do the one who previously held your seat only ever made decisions to benefit her"

"I couldn't have said it better myself, Councilman"

"What do you mean?" Ironwood asked narrowing his eyes.

"To put it bluntly, General. The council's trust in you lessens with each passing day. The hacker who turned our mechanical soldiers against us was never apprehended, we still don't know anything about the identity of the one responsible for the recent attack down in Mantle. How can you expect us to give you our trust when you haven't given us anything in return?"

"I believe the one responsible for the hack at Beacon is the same one responsible for the Faunus quarantine and the attack in the city. We have already verified that they were not our men who opened fire into a group of civilians. If my Huntsmen hadn't been there, things could've gone a lot worse" Ironwood explained.

"General, as you know already. The council has always been skeptical about you holding two council seats" Harris informed them.

"That is why we have safeguards in place. Checks and balances-"

"We're supposed to, but lately you've been trampling all over them! Making important decisions without us because the council was one member short!" Jacques shouted.

"I never intended-"

"Your intentions have sure done us a lot of good now haven't they?" Harris growled.

"General... do you have anything you could give us to ease our minds? Anything at all?" Rawlings asked hopeful.

"Anything I have would only make your minds more uneasy, but not about me" he narrowed his eyes.

"You're afraid, General. Paranoid" Jacques sneered.

"I think that's pretty obvious by now, Jacques. I'm trying to prevent Atlas from becoming another Beacon!" he slammed his hands down on the table.

"Yet, you don't trust your own council to help you? Operating in secret? You're hiding something from us, General"

"Who do you think is responsible for what happened at Beacon? At Haven?" Ironwood's hands rolled into fists "The White Fang? Roman Torchwick?" he pushed himself up from the table "No, I'll tell you who's responsible" Winter looked to him in shock "Inaction!" he shouted "There were so many clues, so many hints right in front of our faces. Yet we still never saw it coming, not the way it happened anyway. I don't intend to allow that to happen again-"

"General Ironwood!" Penny shouted slamming the door open.

"Penny, now isn't a good time-"

"Oscar is hurt!"

"What!?" Ironwood spun around to face her "What happened?"

"Slade and Oscar were thrown across the training room, some kind of energy burst. We don't know. Father took him to his office"

"What about, Slade. Is he alright?"

"He's fine, seems to have only received minor injuries. Jaune healed him up, but Oscar won't wake up"

Ironwood turned back to the council "We're going to have to continue this at a later date"

"You cannot just-" Jacques started, but Ironwood ignored him, rushing out of the room with Penny following quickly behind.

Winter smirked at her father's expression "I believe this meeting is adjourned then" she turned to leave, following behind Ironwood.

"Who does he think he is-" Jacques was stopped as Rawlings stood.

"Someone is hurt and you're still thinking about yourself?" he asked appalled "How dare you. I can't believe anyone actually voted for such a selfish man. You may dress up your words all you like, Sir. But don't think for one second that you fool me" he stormed out of the room.

"The gall" Jacques feigned offense.

"Just ignore it" Harris sighed "He and Ironwood are always going on about the greater good and some such nonsense. As long as Atlas is doing well, I don't really care about anything else" she exited as well, leaving Jacques sitting quietly on his own.

* * *

 **That's all for now guys! Hope you guys liked it, I will be sure to have the next chapter out as soon as possible!**


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